


A Shark Dressed in White Part 2

by Keromenson



Series: A Shark Dressed in White [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: A Shark Dressed in White AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Blood, F/F, F/M, Faunus!Weiss, Gen, Light Angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2019-08-20 22:45:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 95,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16564550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keromenson/pseuds/Keromenson
Summary: Beacon has Fallen.  Friends are gone.  A team separated.  Weiss has been taken home to Atlas, once again under her Father's thumb.  Can she escape to find her friends again?  The ones that know her secret and still care for her?  (Covers Volumes 4-6)Inspired by the Great Weiss Shark AU by Spudato





	1. The Gilded Cage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so here we are with the next volume. Instead of doing a whole chapter covering everything, we are just going to cover a few new things in this extra long author note. (Feel free to go back to the very first chapter of the series to get most of the information, because that all still stands.)  
> I just want to cover a few new things here. First of all, please do not post spoilers or discuss anything from the show in the comments until it has been made available for everyone to watch.  
> Ok, that was the small thing. Here is the big thing. This part of the series (Covering Volumes 4-6) gets kind of ship heavy, so I wanted to address some things. I like AO3s community because people are mostly respectful of various ships. The readers that comment on this story in particular are really good about that, and I want to thank you all for that. However, with the large amount of ships that have developed as I wrote, there is bound to be some that some people will not enjoy. I've only had one person so far that spoke out about not liking a particular ship (They asked if Jaune was shipped with anyone from Team RWBY, and as of the time of writing this author note, that answer is no). They were (mostly) respectful with their question and opinion, so I had no particular issue answering their question, even if I disagreed with them.  
> That being said, I will not tolerate shipping wars in the comments. I've had to unfollow more than one good RWBY blog on Tumblr because of shipping wars and hate of fictional characters clogging my dash. Want to cheer for your favorite ship? Go for it. That is welcome. (Some of you have already). Want to speculate and talk about where you think this story is going to go? That is welcome and encouraged and I enjoy seeing those types of comments.  
> If you start complaining about a ship and demand I change it? I will delete your comments without remorse. If people start fighting with each other over ships in the comments I will delete entire threads with extreme prejudice. This has not been an issue so far and I hope it stays that way. I really like hearing everyone's comments and stuff like that makes things unenjoyable for everyone involved. Just remain respectful and enjoy yourselves. Ok? ok.

It had been two months since the fall of Beacon. Two months of being trapped in her home. Weiss used the term 'home' loosely. It was more of a pretty prison. She was not allowed to leave the mansion without an escort 'for her safety' as her father said.

Weiss sat in her room watching passing ships fly by outside her window. She wondered how her friends were doing. Last she had heard or seen of them, Nora, Ren, and Jaune were mourning Pyrrha's death. Blake was missing. Sun had left to track her down. She had not seen Neptune or the rest of team SSSN since the battle with the Paladins. Yang was crippled and barely functioning, and Ruby was unconscious. She had no way to contact any of them, she realized a month ago. The CCT was down and she had no idea where any of them lived.

Nora had said she and Ren had no home to return to. Weiss suspected they were staying with Jaune and his family, wherever it was that he lived. She knew Ruby and Yang lived on Patch, but with as small as the island was, it was still a large area, and she had no way to track down their actual address. Blake was just...gone, so there was no way to find her. _'Maybe Sun found her and brought her back. They could go to Patch and find Ruby and Yang.'_

That possibility made her feel a little better. The four of them could support each other. Yang was going to need it. She herself was well taken care of...as far as what money could buy at least. The things that had begun to matter to her during her time at Beacon were in short supply at the mansion. Things like friends, playing around after classes, even the less than fancy meals. Weiss never thought she would miss the thrill of combat as much as she did either. Her training was reduced to basic drills that she had mastered long ago. She had no one to spar with, no Grimm to fight, no challenges. It was driving her into a depression.

She had tried playing pool in the den despite her Father's disapproval. It was a minor rebellious act, and she thought she would enjoy it, but without her friends to play it with her, it just became another mental exercise to pass time, and she soon lost interest.

Even her salt water baths were beginning to lose their appeal. When you are sitting in a room all day with nothing to do, you don't really have much to do besides think, and that was what the baths were supposed to be for. She never thought she would miss the noise or cramped space of the dorm. Her room was too big and empty. Hell, the entire house was too big and empty.

Weiss was brought out of her depressing thoughts by a knock at her door. Not that these thoughts were anything new. They had been fairly consistent for the last month and a half, once she had gotten resettled into the mansion.

"Yes?" She called out.

An older , balding man with a bushy mustache opened the door and leaned into the room.

"Miss Schnee? Your Father wishes to speak with you."

Weiss sighed as she looked out the window one last time.

"Coming. Thank you Klein."

She stood up and smoothed out her dress. It was blue with white accents and contained a few sapphires. _'More pointless displays of wealth. I couldn't even get the mesh I wanted like my dress for the dance had. At least then this would have some function.'_ As she made her way to her Father's office, she lamented the emptiness if the mansion. The lack of color. Weiss liked white and baby blue, but this was excessive, even for her. She missed the red and yellow, even Nora's bright pink would be preferable to this. As she stopped to look up at a family portrait on the wall, she just noticed for the first time that none of the women in the photo were smiling. Her father was though, and so was...

"Good afternoon, sister."

Weiss looked over to see her brother....smiling?...politely?

"A pleasure to see you out of your room for a change."

 _'Not what I need to deal with right now.'_ She lamented internally, although her face was serenity on the outside. _'Just putting the mask back on...'_

"Hello, Whitley. You're in a cheery mood today."

Whitley smiled as he vaguely gestured with one hand, the other perpetually behind his back. "Klein made crepes for breakfast."

_'Might as well see what this is about.'_

Weiss dropped her serene mask and gave a look of annoyance.

"What do you want?"

Whitely leaned forward. "I heard Father shouting with someone in his study earlier."

_'Well, maybe I can get some information out of him at least. I wonder what his angle is though...'_

"Mother?" she question in curiosity.

Whitley stood up straight again and looked out the window. "No, she's already drinking in the garden. I think it was a man."

Weiss looked up at her brother in surprise.  "I just wanted to warn you. I heard he had asked to speak to you."

_'Why would he bother warning me?'_

Weiss looked to the side. "I'll be fine."

She looked back up with surprise again when her brother agreed with her.

"I know you will. You're strong, like Winter!"

A number of red flags flew up in Weiss' mind again and she looked at him again in suspicion. "You never liked Winter."

Whitley seemed to think on that for a moment. "True, but you can't deny her resolve."

_'What is up with him?'_

"You....seem different."

Her brother looked at her like he was educating a child. "And you've been gone. I'll have you know I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon."

As he turned around and walked away, he wished her good luck with their Father.

_'Maybe he has grown up...'_

"Thank you", she muttered with a small smile as she looked at the door to her Father's study.

\-----

As Weiss walked up to the door, she heard her Father arguing with someone, just like Whitley had said. He was complaining about something being for the good of the kingdom, and not the company.

_'Not likely. The company always comes first with him.'_

As she quietly opened the door, she saw General Ironwood sitting with Father.

"Jacques, will you please just hear me out?"

Weiss flinched as her Father slammed his whiskey glass down on the table.

"You are a trusted friend and ally to the family James, but what you are suggesting is absurd."

Ironwood and Father went back and forth about how the council would react, until her Father accidentally showed his hand in anger.

"Your Dust embargo has already cost me millions. I can promise you, I have not forgotten!"

"So, this IS about you."

 _'Of course this is about him. It is always about him.'_ She thought with a sigh. She was startled from her thoughts when the door clicked shut behind her.

She quickly composed herself by the time they looked over at her, Ironwood apologizing for not being finished with his business and offering her a spot at Atlas academy before departing.

"Did you forget your manners while you were gone?"

Weiss scowled at her Father's words, **_'Tell him to shut up!'_** then took a breath to calm herself, before putting on an apologetic look and turning around to face him.

"No, Father. I'm sorry."

**_'Stop being so weak!'_ **

Weiss and her Father began talking. Weiss was surprised she managed to actually get to say as much as she did. He was complaining about people blaming Atlas for what happened in Vale. When she replied that those people weren't there to see it, she realized from the look on his face that she had just walked into his hands. He started praising her, or rather a 'member of the Schnee family', was there 'fighting to defend another kingdom'.

_'Of course he wants to play that angle up.'_

His next words caught her off guard, pleasantly for once.

"The Schnee Dust Company is going to hold a charity concert in the coming weeks to show we support Vale."

Weiss smiled in joy.

"That's...wonderful news!"

Then the other shoe dropped. She figured she should have expected it, but the thought of helping Vale and her friends distracted her. She was out of practice playing this game. She wasn't sure if she regretted that or not.

"I know. And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event."

There it was with the praising of the Schnee family, not Weiss, but 'Jacques daughter' being there helping, and the need to show that the 'family' was just as strong as ever.

_'They way he uses us as a PR stunt still makes me sick.  Why am I so damn weak about this?'_

**'Because he still has control of the company and thus, your future.'**   Her subconscious helpfully supplied the answer to her.

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?"

 _' **You already know the answer to this question Weiss, why bother asking?  Tell him no!  What can he do to you!?'**  _The defiant part of her screamed in her mind.

 **'You have to play his game if you want to keep your future.'** Her subconscious reminded her again.  The voice sounded a lot like her younger self.

"I think it will make a lot of people happy."

Weiss sighed to herself. _'I can't give up on the company.  I still need to play his game.'_ She was stuck being his puppet again.

"I'll start practicing."

**_'Stop it!  You are a huntress!  Not a pawn!'_ **

Father smiled. "That's my girl."

As she shut the door, she saw the only person in the manor that she liked since Winter left. She smiled when Klein, her butler, came and brought her coffee, joking about her Father and making funny faces until she finally smiled. He always knew how to make her feel better.

"That's my happy little snowflake."

Weiss thanked him again and made her way back to her room, thinking about how her Father was using her again.

 _ **'You should have just told him no.'**_ Her defiance told her.

 **'There are other ways.  Just make him mad in ways he can't hurt you back.'** The cautious part of her subconscious told her.

_'My own daughter there on the ground, defending another kingdom.'_

_'That's my girl.'_

Her defiant side wasn't ready to give up quite yet though.

**_'Sure thing...Father...your girl. Your daughter. Too bad for you that you get me instead.  You want a song?  I'll give you a damn song.'_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He we go starting off the new series. Not the strongest first chapter, I know, but Weiss spent all of Volume 4 in her house, so I'm kind of limited in what I can write about not knowing much beyond what is shown in the show. The rest of Volume 4's chapters are a bit more interesting and have some original elements thrown in. Things pick up in Volume 5 also. Just a bit of a slow start on this one.
> 
> Also, last chapter some people mentioned how Weiss following her Father with little resistance seemed out of character. Hopefully this chapter shows her thoughts and indecision a bit better. It isn't multiple personalities or anything, just a representation of her desire to live her life fighting with her indecision and doubt.


	2. Finally One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While preparing for the concert, Weiss has a moment of introspection on a subject she has been avoiding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will be following Weiss for awhile, but don't worry. The rest of the gang will start getting screen time again. Also, fixed the relationship tags for past ships so they are less confusing.

Just to make sure things don't get confusing, I'm going to put a bit of a guide here in relation to Weiss' thoughts:

_'Weiss' general conscious thoughts.'_

**'Weiss' cautious, indecisive side.'**

**_'Weiss' defiant side.'_ **

\----------

Weiss had to keep what she was practicing away from prying ears, but she really only had to worry about her brother when it came to that. Her Father didn't care too much other than that she was actually practicing. Mother was always occupied, and Klein would not say anything even if he knew. She took some time to 'practice' one of her older songs to keep suspicion off of her. When she was sure no one was eavesdropping, she quietly practiced the new one she was writing.

_'Oh, the crowd might not realize what is being said, but he sure will.'_

**_'Let them hear what you have to say.  You didn't hide how you really felt from your friends.  Why care what a bunch of rich snobs think?'_ **

As she got to writing her second chorus, she chuckled to herself at the irony of the wording.

_'I'm not your pet, not another thing you own.'_

The line brought a smile to Weiss' face.

_'Oh, he would hate that one if he knew I was a Faunus.'_

**'That is good. He can't hurt you back with that.'**

It was these little acts of rebellion that he couldn't say anything out loud about that she enjoyed so much...or..at least...she used to. Things like wearing her pony tail to the side to break up the order and control he loved so much. As she got to her final verse, she thought about her time at Beacon and how it helped her so much.

**_'They taught you better than to be passive aggressive like this. You're better than this.'_ **

Images of Yang, Blake, Jaune, even Nora and Ren flashed through her mind. Her smile fell slightly as she pictured Pyrrha's smiling face. Penny's smile and eccentric personality also popped unbidden into her mind. She had been holding off on thinking about the loss of her friends. Then, of course, there was Ruby. The energetic, weapon crazed dolt of a partner. The brave partner that she had seen run up a tower toward unknown danger to try and save their friend. The one that had kissed her before running off...

Weiss' pen stopped moving. That was another thing she had avoided thinking about in the last couple of months.

**_'What would she think if she saw you now?  Where is that confidant huntress that followed her into battle?'_ **

Weiss shook her head and tried to get her mind back on track, but Ruby's actions were something that she now found herself unable to put aside. She set her pen down and leaned back in her chair with a sigh, coming to a decision.

_'I'm going to have to address this if I want to get anything done.'_

She quickly put her writing away into a locked drawer of her desk and after informing Klein what she was doing so he could keep people away, headed for her private bathroom. It was time for her to sit down and give this some serious thought, and she knew the perfect environment for that.

As she slid down into the huge tub of salt water, she closed her eyes and let the water block out all sound. Now she could just let her mind process everything. The image of her leader kissing her and the words she spoke came back to her.

_' "Just in case I don't make it. I wanted to do that...just once. It's much better when I'm not drowning..." '_

Weiss' brow furrowed in thought.

_'Ok, so Ruby either had feelings previously or started having them after I saved her at the docks...'_

Then there was the conversation before the dance.

_' Ruby was looking away from her. "There was someone I thought about asking, but I didn't think they would be interested. Besides, they are already going with someone else."_

_"Oh? Anyone I know?"_

_Ruby swirled her drink in her cup. "Don't really want to talk about it. I don't even know if I really like them like that or not. It doesn't matter anyway." '_

Then at the dance when Weiss caught Pyrrha's eye, she also noticed Ruby had been watching her and Jaune. How Pyrrha knew who Ruby wanted to ask, but wouldn't tell Weiss. The way Ruby comforted her when the team found out about her secret. Supporting her when she was injured. Hugging her even more than she did the rest of the team...

The evidence kept piling up. On it's own, lots of that could be written off as just Ruby watching out for her friend or teammate, or for the good of the team, but when put in context with those things that she couldn't just write off, like the kiss, it was just so obvious.

Ruby had been struggling with figuring out if she had feelings for Weiss. Weiss had been so caught up in the drama with Jaune and Neptune, the craziness of her secret being discovered, and the tournament, that she had never noticed, until Ruby seemingly came to a decision and finally made a desperate move. Now, the hard part...how did Weiss feel about all of that?

Flattered was the first thing to come to mind. That much she could say with certainty. Ruby's feelings were genuine. The girl couldn't lie with a straight face. Like Jaune and probably Neptune, Ruby didn't like Weiss for her money or fame.

_'Now, million lien question, do I have any romantic feelings for Ruby? Do I like her back like that?'_

Weiss was pretty sure the answer to that question was no, but she had to be thorough in thinking about this, and it wasn't the first time she had been wrong when it came to relationships. Something she begrudgingly accepted.

_'Ok, first. Do I find Ruby attractive? She is cute. I thought she looked really nice at the dance. Well, of course I did, I helped pick out her outfit and did her make up and hair. I made her look the way I thought was pretty.'_

Weiss groaned in annoyance at herself.

_'Ok, bad way to start. Comparisons? Yeah, maybe comparisons will give me an idea.  Jaune. Well, I didn't really find him physically attractive, but not ugly. Neptune. I thought he was cute. He'd look good with me.'_

Weiss shook her head.

_'No, that is not relevant. How we look together shouldn't matter. Ugh! ok, new tactic. Ignore looks for now. How does she make me feel?'_

This was slightly easier to figure out. She decided she should have started with that.

_'She makes me feel....safe. I don't have to hide how I am around her. She accepts me without question. I have fun with her. She constantly pulled me out of my comfort zone, but when she did, I always enjoyed myself. She makes me...smile, and I like that. Her hugs don't even really bother me anymore. She is friendly, and hopeful. Determined to do the right thing. She is really skilled at fighting and she knows how to get people to work together. I like those things in a person. I feel..loved...and wanted around her. I'm not Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC to her. I'm just Weiss. Huh...so that is what Pyrrha meant when she spoke about Jaune....'_

Weiss sighed and bubbles rose to the surface of the tub.

_'Ok, so there is a definite emotional attraction there. I can't deny that.'_

**'Father would never accept her.'**

_**'Jacques' opinion doesn't matter.  Ruby earned your respect and loyalty.  Jacques just expects it.'** _

As she thought about it more, the only definite conclusion she could come to was that the answer to her question was not a 'no' like she originally thought. It wasn't necessarily a 'yes' either though. She was going to need to talk to her adorable team leader more before she was going to be able to figure herself out.

_'Adorable? ok, where did that come from? I need to find a way to contact my team. Ruby and I need to have a conversation if I'm ever going to figure this out.'_

**_'You have to get back out there if you want to have that conversation.'_ **

Weiss ran her hand down her face.

_'Great...Now I'm starting to wonder if I'm actually straight or not.  Well, I probably wouldn't even be thinking about any of this if I was certain I was.  Besides, it's not like I ever had reason to think about it before Beacon when all the men that flirted with me here were just after my money or family. They were never worth my attention anyway.  Maybe I'm gay.'_

Her brow furled in thought.

 _'How would I even know though?  I don't think I've ever had a woman flirt with me before._ _No woman in her right mind would flirt with me at an SDC event anyway. That is so taboo up here that it is social suicide. Even if it wasn't, they would just be after my name and money.  Maybe the people at Beacon are a better pool to compare with.'_

Weiss thought back to her time at Beacon and the 'normal' people that she interacted with everyday.  Normal for being a teenager training to fight monsters for a living, at least.  The day in the lunchroom where she got the milk spilled on her was most prominent.  She got lots of looks from both men and women that day.  Neither gave her a different reaction from the other though.  All she felt was embarrassed and maybe a little uncomfortable at the attention from either sexes.  Maybe her friends' reactions were a better way to go.  She knew them better than anyone else at the school.   

Yang teased a little like she always did, but it wasn't flirty.  Weiss had seen Yang flirt before, so that wasn't really helpful in figuring out how she would react.  Neptune didn't even seem to notice her change of clothes.  He just liked flirting with her, but...it seems like flirting was all he did.  He did like her though.  His concern for her in the battle with the Paladin, and what Pyrrha had told her the night of the dance confirmed that.  He just didn't seem to be able to commit.  Plus, she always just flirted back.  She really never had a meaningful conversation with him.  Maybe she just enjoyed that he was cute and wasn't after her money.  Jaune had been staring at her awestruck.  He obviously appreciated how she looked, but he didn't leer.  There was certainly nothing in his expression that said he wanted to, as Yang described, "Pin her to a wall and make out with her.", and Ruby was giving her that small smile when she said that Weiss looked nice.  Ruby might have been flirting with her right then, but then again, if their conversation before the dance told Weiss anything, it was that Ruby was still indecisive on her feelings.  Their reactions didn't make her feel uncomfortable, but she still wasn't any closer to figuring herself out.

_Ok, I'll just have to come back to this later...'_

Weiss got up and got herself dressed again and made her way back to her desk, somewhat at ease with her feelings. With no way to continue her train of thought without further information, she at least felt comfortable shelving that subject for the time being. She had people that loved her, accepted her, Faunus and all, and with the exception of Klein, those people were not here. They were out in the world as hunters and huntresses, a world she wanted to rejoin.

**_'Then get back out there.'_ **

**_'_ The time isn't right yet.'**

_**'It will be very soon.  You turn eighteen in a couple weeks and he won't be able to keep you here.'** _

With that thought in mind, now she could finish writing, and she had just the inspiration. Her pen flew across the paper with renewed vigor.

_'Shame it took so long to rescue me,_

_From the guilt you used to tie me to your family tree._

_I guess your training failed, you're not in charge of me._

_Your patriarchal prison won't hold me._

_Now this conversation's finally over_

_Mirror, mirror, now we're done_

_I've pulled myself together now, my mind and heart are one.'_

Weiss smiled to herself as she wrote the last line, realizing that she finally knew exactly what she wanted.

_'Finally one....'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure there are some shippers reading this that are pulling their hair out and cursing me right now. I apologize, but like I said WAY back in chapter 1 of the series, if a ship happens, I'm going to make it develop as natural as possible, and Weiss never really had any reason to think about her sexuality before. (I have figured out what I decided her sexuality is for this story. Weiss just doesn't know yet.) She always recognized people that were just after her fame, so they were never worth her thinking about if she actually liked them. (Something Jacques probably taught her to recognize, for the purpose of manipulating them to her benefit, of course. That sounds like what he did to Weiss' mother.)
> 
> So, hell, let's recap shipping potentials for our main characters here just for shits and giggles (Well, from Weiss point of view at least):  
> 1\. Weiss is thoroughly confused about her own feelings.  
> 2\. Ruby possibly having made a decision finally. (She honestly may have just been doing it so she could get a real kiss with someone in case she died at the top of the tower.)  
> 3\. Neptune still likes Weiss, but is scared and has trouble committing. (As I explained before, he is a nerd putting on a cool guy act and can't seem to shut it off. That is how I'm portraying him in this story at least. Volume 6 seemingly just went full 'bro' on him. I'm ok with that because with Jaune getting all angsty at Ozpin (for good reason) we kinda lost some of our comedy. Yea, character development. I'm actually a little surprised Neptune didn't talk to Weiss, unless he did so 'off camera' during the two weeks between the Haven battle and when the train left. Maybe they figured things out, because at the end of Volume 3 he certainly seemed to care about her specifically.)  
> 4\. Sun obviously likes Blake.  
> 5\. Blake probably likes Sun back, but doesn't want to admit it.  
> 6\. Yang is a big bisexual flirt. (She actually has a lot deeper character than that, don't worry people.)  
> 7\. Jaune and Weiss became supportive friends with each other.  
> 8\. Pyrrha and Jaune had some happiness for a while, but then tragedy struck. (Sorry Arkos shippers.)  
> 9\. Nora obviously likes Ren, but will never admit that she wants them to be 'together-together'.  
> 10\. Ren is...Ren
> 
> Keep in mind that with us mostly following Weiss, there is still a lot of stuff going on in the background and out of her knowledge. Ships included. Any background ships that happen will get some explanation when Weiss becomes aware of them. They won't be completely out of no where and if you go back in the story later, you will probably be able to see the clues that hint at their possibilities.


	3. A Gift Money Can't Buy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss' 18th birthday rolls around and she receives the kind of gift she needs most right now: Friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I mentioned in comments last week that this week things would get a bit more dramatic. The chapter was already fairly long (around 4500 words, more than twice my usual chapter length) before I decided that I should include Weiss' 18th birthday into the mix which I expected to be around 500 words. That ended up ballooning into 4,100 words by itself, along with adding some OCs that I originally had no intention of making and had to think up on the spot. As such, Weiss' birthday is getting it's own (100% original) chapter that I wrote in about 5 hours and spent the rest of the week tweaking. Not bad for something that came from the thought of 'Weiss has a birthday party.' We will get to the semi-canon drama next week. Enjoy.
> 
> Also, some warnings just in case because this chapter gets a little in depth: Talks about sexuality and discrimination. Very minor exhibitionism (Presented in a humorous manner). Nothing explicit. (Everything easily falls within a Mature or lesser rating.)

The next two weeks crawled by. Weiss both looked forward to and dreaded her eighteen birthday. On the plus side, she was an adult now and had some more control of her future (Father 'legally' had less control over her). On the down side was her 'birthday party'. It was a small party held with 'family friends' attending. Of course, those were Father's friends, not hers. That also meant that those 'friends' brought their children. (i.e. the heirs to their respective companies.)

It was just another event for Father to increase his connections, not actually celebrate her birthday. It also meant that said heirs were expected to mingle. If arranged marriages were still a thing, Weiss was sure more than one of the young adults in the room would already have been traded off for a business partnership. Of course, that didn't stop some of the boys in the room from trying to woo her for that exact purpose. Just because it wasn't a common practice, didn't meant some people didn't still attempt it by 'encouraging' certain heirs to 'get to know each other'.

Weiss chose to gravitate toward the girls in the room in order to avoid dealing with more unwanted suitors. It also let her test her theory that she may be gay, but she found most of them to be the stereotypical 'rich jerk'. That wasn't going to work. Even if she was gay, she despised that kind of person. It reminded her of how she used to be. The people she liked being around weren't like that. They would be considered 'second rate' or 'beneath' those of her status. That was when Weiss had an idea and mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it earlier.

Quickly looking around, she sought out those that looked like they didn't actually want to be there. The uncomfortable ones, the less well off ones, the nervous ones, what would be considered the 'lessers' by those in power. Those would be the ones that weren't hiding behind fake smiles and trying to make deals. The 'normal people' that she had come to associate herself with, or at least as close to normal as Atlas elite could get.

She found what she was looking for over by the refreshment table. A small group of people that looked roughly her age talking and smiling genuine smiles and laughing. Weiss considered herself pretty good at reading a room, and she could see how the other groups were gravitating away from the two boys and girls that seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company.  They reminded her of an Academy team.  Weiss smiled as she made her way over.

_'Now these are my people.'_

Deftly using the crowd to avoid a couple boys that had been glancing at her throughout the evening, she arrived at the small group of four.

"Hello. Are you enjoying the party?"

All four of them jumped slightly at her question, obviously not expecting anyone to approach them, least of all Weiss herself. After they all glanced at each other, one of the boys nervously spoke up. "Y-yes, Miss Schnee. It is a wonderful party. Um...Andrew Silverstein." He tentatively put his hand out for a handshake. Weiss gave him a smile, one of her real ones, as she shook his hand. She recognized the name. Silverstein Motors was the second largest automotive company in Atlas. She could see why they got an invitation.

_'Yes, these are definitely the ones I need to be seeking out.'_

"No need to lie, Mr. Silverstein. I can tell none of you actually want to be here."

All of them tensed up again. Weiss decided she needed to ease their minds. They only knew her by reputation, after all. She wanted them to know she could be a normal person too.  She gave them a warm smile.  "Relax. To be perfectly honest, I don't really want to be here either. None of my actual friends are present."

She put her hand up to her mouth and stage whispered. "Honestly, I'd rather be out hunting Grimm with them than listening to idle gossip and stock options."

One of the girls perked up. "Oh, that's right. You're a huntress. I saw you in the tournament. You kicked butt!"

Weiss smiled at her. "Well, I am part of a really good team. I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

The purple haired girl went wide eyed and quickly stuck her hand out. She was really hyper, kind of like Nora. "I'm sorry. Germaine Eglin."

Weiss blinked as she shook the purple haired girl's hand. "Eglin? As in Eglin Manufacturing?"

Germaine grinned. "Yep. Largest private weapons manufacturer in Atlas. I could talk for days about weapons. That Dust revolver rapier of yours is really cool, by the way."

Weiss smiled. "Thank you. I think you would get along with my partner quite well. She loves weapons too."

Germaine's smile somehow got wider and she started hopping up and down. "Oh, is she the one with that sniper rifle scythe? I would love to talk to her about that!"

Weiss covered her mouth and let a giggle slip out. She felt at ease around these people. She liked Germaine. The girl was a lot like Ruby.

_'Well, if I'm gay, then this would be someone I'd probably be attracted to.'_

"I'm sure Ruby would love to talk your ear off about Cresent Rose."

"Germaine..." A quiet, harsh whisper came from the other boy in the group.

Both girls turned to the other boy. He had a frantic, almost afraid look in his eyes that Weiss couldn't quite understand the reason for, but he kept glancing at her. "Your binding..."

Germaine went wide eyed again and quickly turned so her back was facing the wall away from the room. Weiss noticed the back of her dress puffing out slightly. Weiss' eyes went wide too when she remembered something else about Eglin Manufacturing...the owner's wife was rumored to be a Faunus. The company denied that rumor, for obvious reasons, but it appeared that it was true after all. The other three people in the group quickly but subtly formed a wall around Germaine, blocking view of her from the rest of the room. To any casual observer, nothing had changed in the group, but they kept throwing glances her way. The other girl was expressionless, but both boys looked worried.

Weiss understood their apprehension, but it made her frown. Her family reputation was hurting her social life again. She quickly looked around and caught Klein's eye. She knew he would stick close to her. With a subtle tilt of her head, he walked over their way, smoothly picking up a tray on his way over. "Miss Schnee. Would you or any of your guests care for a beverage?"

Weiss put on her formal mask as she spoke to him so as not to tip off the rest of the guests. This was a common song and dance for Weiss and Klein. He was her friend and basically her substitute parent, but they had to act their parts when in the public eye. The change was not missed by those she had just been speaking to though. "Actually, one of the guests needs to use the restroom, and I find myself in a similar need all of a sudden. Could you do us a favor and make sure we won't be getting in the way of the staff if we take a shortcut through the kitchens?"

Klein nodded. "Of course Miss Schnee. I'll make sure the way is clear. Would you like me to inform your Father that you will be back momentarily?"

Weiss nodded. "Once we are gone that would be fine. Thank you Klein."

Klein nodded and moved off to the door to the kitchens, which was the closest exit to where the small group was standing. Weiss watched the room until Klein poked his head out the door and nodded once.

Weiss turned and reached a hand out toward Germaine. The others in the group tensed and Weiss frowned. "Klein can't stall forever. Please, trust me."

After a few tense seconds, Germaine pushed herself between the others and after searching Weiss' face for a moment, probably for signs of deception, took her hand. "Ok."

The other boy frowned and glanced at Weiss. He spoke in a low, upset tone. "Germaine...."

Germaine looked at him. "Edward, we don't have time to argue. This is serious.  I'm going."

Weiss nodded and looked at Edward. "We will be back." She placed herself behind Germaine as they left the room. As they got into the kitchens, Klein direct them toward the exit to the hallway. "Turn left down the hall. Second door on the right."

Weiss nodded and put her arm around Germaine's waist, leading her toward the door. After peeking her head out to make sure the coast was clear, she led the girl down to the bathroom and locked the door once inside.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss turned around. "Ok, let's see what we can do to fix your problem."

Germaine shook her head. "I can handle it."

Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Nonsense. I'm here. I might as well help. It will go quicker. Now, what can I do?"

Germaine looked nervous. "Well, my binder came loose, but it's kind of...in an...embarrassing area."

Weiss rolled her eyes again. "I spent almost a year rooming with three other girls, one of which has basically no shame. I can handle seeing a cute girl in their underwear. Now come on. We need to hurry before we are missed."

Germaine suddenly blushed, but turned around and pulled her skirt up, revealing a fluffy purple tail that had worked itself loose from a harness that ran from her waist down her leg. Most likely from her bouncing. "You...think I'm cute?"

Weiss crouched down behind her and examined the harness. It looked simple enough to get the tail back into. "Yes, but don't read into that too much. There are boys I think are cute too. I'm not gay...I think..."

The last part was spoken quietly to herself, but in the quiet bathroom, Germaine heard and looked over her shoulder at Weiss. She looked...hopeful?  "You think you might be gay?"

Weiss glanced up at the blushing face and sighed while gently taking hold of the end of the tail. "There is a girl that I went to Beacon with that likes me. My partner, Ruby. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm attracted to her or not. She is kind of like you." Weiss stopped and blinked a moment before she ran her hand over the fur a couple times, thinking out loud to herself. "Wow, that is really soft."

A sharp gasp caught her attention and she looked up to see Germaine wide eyed and taking a few deep breaths, seemingly calming herself. She was red from the tips of her ears clear down to the neckline of her dress. Weiss immediately caught on to the connection and let go of the fluffy appendage, blushing in embarrassment and shame.

_'What was I thinking!? This is a person, not Zwei!'_

"Oh god! I am SO sorry. I wasn't thinking. That was extremely inappropriate of me."

Germaine swallowed thickly and took a couple more breaths. "It's ok. I just...never had anyone pet my tail before. It was...nice. You have very gentle hands."

Weiss latched onto the opportunity to switch to a new subject immediately. "Thank you. It's hard to keep them soft when they get all calloused from sword work."

Germaine hummed in agreement. The two sat there in silence for a moment before she spoke up again hesitantly. "Um...to be perfectly honest, I really **could** use some help with my binder. It is a real pain trying to do it myself."

Weiss took a breath and started undoing the cinches on the harness and maneuvering the tail through the loops.  "Sorry for making things awkward. Ruby has a fluffy little dog and Father doesn't allow pets in the house. I suppose I just miss him and your fur reminded me of his."

Weiss furrowed her brow.

"I'm sorry. That sounded racist. I didn't mean to compare you to a family pet."

She sighed.  "I just made things worse, didn't I?"

Germaine smiled.  "It's ok. I know you didn't mean anything bad by it. Your family kind of has a reputation. It's actually nice to know there is a real person behind the name."

Weiss smiled as she tightened the loops around the tail.  "Thank you for understanding. I've had to wear this mask for upper society for so long, it makes it difficult to be myself at times. That's not too tight, is it?"

Germiane shook her head. "No, that is perfect, thank you. So, what makes you think you aren't gay, if you've been questioning it?"

Weiss looked over her work, making sure the multiple straps holding the fluffy tail in place were tight enough so the tail wouldn't be visible under the skirt. "Well, I just realized that I have been looking directly at your bare rear end and legs but I don't feel any attraction."

Germaine blushed even harder and pouted. "Hey, you try finding underwear that fits properly and isn't custom made when you have a tail. G-strings are horribly uncomfortable, by the way, no matter how good they make my butt look. I don't recommend them."

Weiss nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine. They don't look very comfortable, but I suppose they are designed more for sex appeal rather than comfort."

She looked at the sight in front of her, waiting...hoping...for **some** kind of reaction, even going so far as trying to imagine Ruby in such attire. A difficult task in of itself as she never really paid attention to Ruby's figure before.  She sighed in defeat.

_'Nope...nothing..'_

Germaine spoke up.  She sounded shy and embarrassed.  "You seem pretty engrossed with it right now."

Weiss put her face in her hand.  "Would you believe me if I told you I was hoping if I stared long enough, I'd get 'turned on'?"

Germaine gave Weiss a grin, but it looked kind of forced and she looked embarrassed. "Well...t-take it all in. I usually make someone w-wait until the third date to see my butt." It sounded awkward, like if Ruby tried to say something sexy.

Weiss grinned. "Germaine, are you trying to flirt with me?"

Said girl looked more embarrassed.  "Yes?"

Weiss giggled.

The squirrel girl pouted. "Not working very well, is it?"

Weiss chuckled. "Nope, sorry. If it makes you feel better, you are quite attractive...objectively at least."

Germaine huffed, then smiled. "Well, that is something, I suppose."

Weiss sighed. "I'm not sure what is worse. That I'm staring at your butt to see if I'll get aroused, or that you are letting me do so."

Germaine was still blushing, but chuckled. "Oh, definitely the second one, because I'm getting a thrill out of you looking. I've never had a pretty girl check me out before."

Weiss laughed. "We are a sad pair, aren't we?"

Germaine laughed too.  "A lesbian Faunus and a curious human at a high class society event checking each other out in a bathroom?  Yeah, that is pretty sad."

Weiss grimaced.  "Honestly, it would be less weird if I was having any kind of reaction at all.  I'd think if I was straight, I'd at least be uncomfortable doing this."

Germaine looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Maybe you just haven't found anyone who is your type yet."

Redirecting her attention back to the harness, Weiss frowned at the contraption that the fluffy tail was now confined to as she stood up and smoothed the skirt back out. She felt bad for Germaine. Hiding her own Faunus heritage was easy compared to what this girl was going through. "Perhaps.  That kind of worries me though.  You and Ruby are a lot alike."

Weiss let out a tired sigh.  "I mean..I have an emotional attraction to her.  That much I'm confident about but...I don't think I have a physical one.  I'm not sure what to make of that.  It is just so confusing."

Germaine turned and looked herself over in the mirror, making sure her tail wasn't showing at all. "Platonic love?"

Weiss shook her head. "No...I know how that feels. This is...different...like...more?"

"Well, on the bright side, at least you've got the most important part of a relationship going for you. You don't have to be sexy to be happy."

Weiss thought that over and smiled. "True."

Weiss furrowed her brows again in thought.  "Hey, not to get off subject, but instead of wearing uncomfortable clothes, why don't you have clothes custom made? Your family is wealthy enough, and I can't imagine your tail is comfortable being tied down like that.  I would think there has to be a better way to hide it."

Germaine turned around and leaned against the sink, crossing her arms over her chest. "The tabloids caught wind of the rumors that my mom is a Faunus, which as you can see, is true. If we try and order custom clothes for me, they are pretty much guaranteed to find a way to find out.  My family can't risk that.  The harness hurts after a few hours, but it is necessary for these events.  We need the contracts we have, and too many of those companies are run by old, racist guys....uh, no offense."

Weiss frowned. "None taken. Father is not a good man. I used to be like that too until I left for Vale. I'm trying to be better than that. A couple of my closest friends are Faunus. I'm sorry you have to suffer like that though. It isn't fair."

Germaine gave her a sad smile. "Well, I'm glad there is someone out here that feels that way. I'm not sure I can even describe how difficult it is to pretend to be human and listen to the things some of those people say at these parties and having to hold your tongue. Being gay on top of all of that just adds to the stress.  At least I don't have to hide when I'm at home."

Weiss took a moment to think on her response.

_'She is going through the same thing I am. I could use a friend...'_

**'You don't need to tell her more. She already trusts you. She will make a good business partner.'**

_'I don't want a business partner. I want a friend in this hellhole that understands me.'_

**'She could expose you if you tell her.'**

**_'She won't expose you.  She knows you could expose her back, and no one would believe a Schnee is a Faunus anyway.'_ **

The squirrel Faunus' voice brought her out of her thoughts.  "Not to be hypocritical, because I absolutely enjoyed the attention, but just to be clear...you didn't bring me in here just to check me out, did you?"

Weiss' face turned bright red in embarrassment again as what had occurred in the last ten minutes processed in her mind, and she shook her head violently.  "No!  I just wanted to help you.  I had no ulterior motive, I promise." 

Her eyes went wide.   "Oh god!  I just sexually harassed you like some creep, didn't I?  I am so sorry!"

She turned away and buried her face in her hands.  She felt completely mortified.

_'What on Remnant is wrong with me!?  Am I so desperate to figure myself out that I'm lowering myself to leering at women like a pervert just to see if I have a reaction!?'_

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  She turned to see green eyes and a shy smile facing her.

"Hey, it's ok.  I'm not mad.  To be honest...I've been checking you out too."  Germaine shrugged.  "I'm just...better at not getting caught."

Weiss tried to give her a smile.  It was weak, but the squirrel girl accepted it.

Weiss leaned against the counter and crossed her arms, trying to calm herself.  Germaine mimicked her, arms crossed and leaning against the counter next to her with her ankles crossed.  She leaned over with a small smile and bumped shoulders with Weiss.  "So, why did you go out of your way to help me out like that?  You could have just pointed me toward a room and let me handle it."

Weiss took a breath and looked straight ahead at the wall.  "Sympathy."

The girl next to her grinned.  "Now I know you're smart, but I think you meant 'empathy'.  You'd need to be a Faunus too for it to be sympathy."

Weiss looked at Germaine out of the corner of her eye, icy blue meeting light green for a moment, then looked back at the wall.  "I know what I said.  Believe me, I know **exactly** how you feel."

Germaine's eyes went wide for a moment, then narrowed in concentration and traveled her form from top to bottom, obviously looking for her Faunus trait.

Weiss turned her head to face the other Faunus, and when their eyes met, she closed her clear lids.

Germaine gasped.  "You're a lizard Faunus?"

Weiss shook her head as she opened the lids back up.  "Shark.  I have gills too, on my ribs.  It was just easier to show you my second set of eyelids...and I'd appreciate it if you kept that information to yourself for the time being...for obvious reasons."

Germaine nodded.  "So, your mother is a Faunus too?"

Weiss suddenly had a sense of deja vu.  In a bathroom with a cute weapons geek assuming her mother was a Faunus because everyone knew there was no way Father was one.  What a strange life she led.  "No, but neither is Jacques.  That conversation will have to wait for another time though. We've been gone for too long as is. Here, let me see your scroll. I'll give you my number. We can speak more another time. It gets lonely in the mansion when I can't contact any of my friends, and it would be nice to hear a friendly voice now and again."

Germaine blushed. "Hiding out in a bathroom, and now giving me your number?  Be careful or there will be rumors about us hooking up."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "As much fun as it would be to upset Father with a scandal, I doubt your family needs the headache that would cause."

Germaine pouted. "I suppose. Shame you aren't gay though. I would love having a baddass huntress for a girlfriend. You sure I can't interest you in a date?"

Weiss gave her a small smile. "Sorry to disappoint, but even if I was, Ruby would already have first claim."

Germaine shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying. At least I can still say I got a pretty girl's number tonight. Hey...if things don't work out between you two, do you think you can give her my number?"

Weiss chuckled as they left the bathroom and she led the girl back toward the ballroom. "I'll consider it. She might be more interested in your research department than she is in you though."

Germaine giggled along with her as they returned to the group. Said group looked noticeably relieved when they arrived and Weiss dipped her head in apology with a smile. "Sorry we took so long."

The boy named Edward glanced at her in suspicion before he looked at Germaine. "Everything ok?"

He relaxed when the squirrel girl smiled. "Yep. No problems. We just got caught up talking for a bit."

As the boy was about to reply, he stopped and looked over Weiss shoulder. Weiss turned her head as Klein walked up to her. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss Schnee, but your Father wishes to speak with you."

Weiss grimaced and then sighed. "Of course he does. Thank you Klein."

Klein nodded and walked away. Weiss looked back toward the guests that she **actually** wished she would be able to get know better.

_'Maybe Germaine can introduce me to them later.'_

"I apologize, but it appears I must go. It has been a pleasure to meet you Andrew, Germaine."  She turned to the other two.  "I apologize Edward and...?"

The other girl gave her a polite smile.  "Vanellope.  Vanellope Sweet." 

Weiss nodded.  "Edward, Vanellope.  I apologize for not getting a chance to speak with you.  Perhaps another time.  I wish you all a wonderful evening."

As she turned away, she looked over her shoulder at Germaine. "I'm available tomorrow afternoon to talk if you wish to call me."

The squirrel Faunus smiled at her. "It would be my pleasure. Happy Birthday Weiss."

Weiss smiled and gave her a nod before turning and walking over to her Father.

Andrew looked at Germaine in awe. "You got **the** Weiss Schnee's personal scroll number?"

Germaine giggled, then blushed at the thought of what had transpired in the bathroom. "Yep. She's a pretty nice girl."

_'Germaine, you are such a useless lesbian.  I enjoyed her checking me out **way** too much.'_

The other girl in the group finally spoke up with a teasing tone. "Working that Eglin charm again, Germaine? Should we be expecting wedding invitations soon?"

Germaine pouted. "Unfortunately, no. She isn't gay. Even if she was, her partner already called dibs."

The girl gave her a teasing grin. "Too bad. We all know you've got a thing for women who can kick ass."

Germaine blushed red again and playfully smacked her on the arm. "Vanellope Sweet! Stop embarrassing me."

Edward spoke up again. "Are you sure it's not because of...you know? She is a Schnee, after all."

Germaine shook her head. "Ed, trust me, she is not **anything** like her father. She's good people." Looking over at Weiss, she smiled. "I think the Schnee name will have a bright future with her in charge."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always welcome.
> 
> There is so much drama and angst that has been happening in the last few chapters, and for quite a few chapters after this, that I needed to make something funny to break it up, and a goofy OC along with an embarrassed Weiss fit the bill pretty good. 
> 
> To address a question I'm sure to get, Atlas is pretty close minded, upper society probably even more so, so Weiss was likely taught that 'straight is the only acceptable sexuality'. Her upbringing affects her a lot. She is sure to know about people who are gay or bi (Yang being one example), but other sexualities are probably not something she is informed about, so she is confused about her own reactions because they don't match any of the 3 sexualities she is familiar with. Germaine has a similar lack of knowledge, being that she is also part of the 'elite', but she is gay, so she doesn't have the same confusion Weiss does about herself. She just doesn't have many options due to the company she keeps, so she was excited at the prospect that Weiss might be an option. Attractive, bad ass (i.e. most huntresses) is absolutely her type.
> 
> New OC's introduced because Weiss can't honestly be the only non jerk among Atlas' elite. (Minor details about them will be presented next chapter. They will probably just be minor background characters, but with this story, your guess is as good as mine as to how involved they will get. Weiss just really needs a support system.)


	4. Tipping Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the 'Charity Gala' at the Schnee estate. Another night suffering with the Atlas elite, but a single choice can change your path, and Weiss makes many choices this night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volume 4 was pretty short chapter wise since there is only so much I could do with 'Weiss is stuck at home'. (I only had about 5 chapters for Volume 4) With the addition of OCs due to an 'on a whim' idea, I have a lot more added to the story. Since I don't wish to rearrange my chapters a 2nd time in my notes, we are going to keep the 5 chapters I wrote and I will just tack the extra content onto my current chapters. This means you guys are in for a treat and get chapters that are in the 4-5k range instead of my normal 2k chapters because I'm having a blast adding new interactions into the story due to these OCs. I also was in serious need of some funny stuff to write, so the chapters won't get TOO emotionally heavy. (Except for this one. It's a doozy) Enjoy :)

The following week was the best Weiss had since she got home. She had managed to finally make some friends in Atlas' upper society that weren't ignorant, stuck up jerks. It was kind of bittersweet though. They were nice, but it wasn't the same. They weren't her friends from Beacon. Germaine Eglin was the heiress to the largest private weapon manufacturing company in Atlas. Third largest in Remnant. Andrew Silverstein was the heir of Silverstein Motors. The Silversteins ran the second largest motor vehicle company in Atlas. Second largest in Remnant as well.

_'Yang would probably love to talk with him.'_

Lastly, Vanellope and Edward Sweet were the twin heirs to Sweet's Bakery Company, the single largest manufacturer of baked goods in Remnant. Weiss had seen large amounts of their brand in Ruby's cookie stash, which told Weiss that is was a product worthy of it's status.

_'Ruby would be drooling if she knew I knew these people.  A weapon's manufacturer AND a bakery company?  She would be so happy.'_

Unfortunately, none of them were hunters or huntresses, or had any interest in Dust, save for Andrew, but that was only in relation to how to make engines more efficient, and Germaine, who had an interest in Dust ammunition. As such, she sometimes struggled to find common interests. You can only talk about business strategies so much before you grow bored.

Germaine was the only one she could really talk to at any length. The squirrel Faunus liked to hear stories about team RWBY and Grimm hunting in general. Thanks to being a huntress and maintaining her own weapon, along with listening to Ruby ramble for hours about weapons in general, Weiss had become at least somewhat knowledgeable on that subject, so they had that to talk about too. She was sure Ruby and Germaine would never stop talking if they ever met. Them both being Faunus pretending to be human was another subject they could bond over, but Weiss had asked Germaine not to reveal that bit of information to her friends. The squirrel Faunus didn't have to worry about being disowned. She could be herself at home.  Weiss didn't have that luxury.

Weiss had invited them all to the charity gala. It would be nice to have someone there she actually wanted to talk to. The night was finally here, and she was ready.

Weiss frowned as she looked at the scroll laying on her vanity. Edward and Vanellope weren't able to make it. Their family was on a business trip to Vale to check on their stores and with air travel in Vale limited to evacuation, they had to take a boat and land transport.  The trip would probably take them a month.  Weiss had asked them to pass a letter on to Professor Goodwitch for Ruby and Yang. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it earlier. Goodwitch would know where the sisters lived. At least now she could let them know she was ok and send them her best wishes. She thought about asking Ruby about her feelings, but that was something she needed to talk about face to face, plus she didn't want anyone else finding out about that yet. She just let them know that she missed them both. If she was lucky, she would even get a reply. That thought brought a small smile back to her face.

Her frown returned though when she looked back at herself in the mirror. Dress? Perfect. Hair? Perfect. It was just more wasted money for stuff that didn't really matter. The song though? For the type of concert she was singing at? It was absolutely brutal, and it was perfect. It was a statement, and Father would hate it, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. That brought a smile back to her face once again.

_'I wonder what Andrew and Germaine will think about it.'_

As she walked out on the stage and the spotlights landed on her, she took a deep breath and let the music start, pouring her heart out into every line, right up through the end.

"....This liiiiiffe iiiiiiiisss miiiiiiiiiiiine!"

As the audience politely clapped at her performance, Weiss looked up at Father and her brother to see their reactions. _'We are in upper society. It's not like the audience is going to shout and make a ruckus in their enjoyment. I wonder how many of them actually heard and understood the message.'_

Whitley was politely clapping and looking bored, but his reaction was not the one she cared about. Father sat there with his fingers intertwined and his eyes narrowed like he was also bored, but the twitch of his mustache let her know he got the message, and was not happy. Of course, he wasn't going to do anything there though.

**'That was well played. He can't do anything to you for that.'**

It was a small victory, but that didn't seem to be enough anymore. As she turned and left the stage, she lowered her eyes and frowned.

_'That was not as enjoyable as I hoped. These tiny bits of rebellion aren't enough anymore.'_

_**'You need to tell him that he can't control you anymore. Stop being so passive aggressive.'** _

\-----  
An hour later, Weiss stood next to her Father at the 'charity gala'...and she was bored out of her mind.  She had found Germaine and Andrew in the crowds, but like herself, they were unfortunately glued to their families and couldn't talk.  Point of fact, Germaine was standing not ten feet from her while their fathers talked, but like Whitley standing behind Father, and Andrew with his parents, both girls had to stand by silently.  Everyone had to play their part.  Their eyes met and had a silent conversation right there.  Weiss was sure if she made eye contact with Andrew, the exact same conversation would happen.

 _*Raised eyebrows* "_ _Bored?"_

_*A sigh and a sideways glance* "Yes, you?"_

_*A raised eyebrow* "You're kidding me, right?"_

_*Furrowed brows* "I hate these things."_

_*A subtle nod* "Me too."_

_*A smirk* "Misery loves company."_

_*An eye roll.*  "Oh, shush you."_

Weiss allowed a tiny smile to grace her lips.

_'So that is what it feels like when Yang and Ruby stare at each other like that.'_

With that thought providing a little entertainment, Weiss decided she had to do something to stave off boredom.  Not having actually ever seen her new friends parents before, Weiss decided to commit their faces to memory.  It would be useful later if she needed to speak with them.  Mr. Eglin was a tall man.  Probably topping six feet tall.  He was apparently where Germaine got her hair color from.  His styled purple hair stuck out in the room of blondes and brunettes that made up most of the guests.  It worked well with his black suit with purple vest though.

Mrs. Eglin was standing next to her daughter.  She was short like her daughter, standing around five and a half foot with black hair.  Germaine definitely had her mother's eyes.  She was dressed in a very nice purple Cheongsam dress with a black silk mask covering the lower half of her face.  It was a look common in the richer parts of Mistral, though if Weiss remembered correctly, typically the masks were not worn indoors.

_''I wonder if it is to hide her Faunus heritage... Maybe she has whiskers?  The dress couldn't hide a tail.  I'll have to ask Germaine about that sometime.'_

Speaking of the resident purple haired squirrel, Germaine was sporting an outfit much the same as she wore at Weiss' birthday.  A fancy purple blouse with a loose fitting black skirt that went down to her ankles.  It was the perfect combination to make sure no one could spot her tail.  The shirt was the only color and had a slightly deep neckline, so it drew the eye, and the black in the skirt made discerning shapes difficult.  Weiss speculated that the shirt was less Germaine being flashy like Yang, and more a calculated decision to keep everyone's eyes above her waist.  All things to pull the eye away from where her tail was.

_'Hmmm....simple, but effective.'_

Looking around the room again for Andrew and his parents, Weiss managed to catch a glimpse of him, but unfortunately the whole family was mostly hidden by the group they were speaking with.  With her game brought to a premature end, Weiss forced herself to listen to what Father and Mr. Eglin were talking about.

 Unfortunately, it was Father that was talking when she refocused her attention, already making her not want to listen.  "We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff, so their argument is invalid right out the gate."

Mr. Eglin came back with a valid argument, but it was one Weiss had heard before. One she was sure Father had ten different comebacks for. She could think of five he might use off the top of her head. "Well, I think the bigger issue here is our society as a whole."

"What, you mean Atlas?"

_'Of course he means Atlas. This place is awful if you aren't rich or part of the Academy.'_

"Atlas, Mantle. You can't deny the economic disparity between the two."

Father came back with his go to argument. Classics work the best apparently. "Well, they did choose to come here. If they don't like living here, they could have stayed where they were."

Mr. Eglin was prepared for that. "Jobs are short, and companies like the SDC promised jobs, but don't cover relocation costs. Anyone moving here to work at the mines has no chance to improve their situation once they arrive."

_'That is not a bad try, but you'll never convince him.'_

Father was quick to turn the tables. "The SDC provides the information. If they do not wish to do the research beforehand, that is on them. Still sounds like I'm the good guy here by providing jobs. Do you not also employ substantial amounts of migrant workers?"

Mr. Eglin smiled. "Of course, but we also pay for relocation, and provide onsite housing for new hires at a reduced rental price so they have plenty of opportunity to get themselves settled. We may not be as profitable as other companies, but our workers don't complain, and we have a noticeable lack of protesters complaining about our practices."

Father smiled too. "True, but you lack the ability to expand because that practice is unsustainable in a larger company. The SDC is able to hire many more employees, and that helps keep unemployment down."

Mr. Eglin was able to talk Father to a stalemate, which is better than others that have tried, but it would never be enough.

As she tuned out the conversation, she looked around and noticed a very nice painting of Beacon hanging on the wall. She decided to get a closer look and started walking over to it before she felt her Father grab her wrist.

"Where are you going?"

Weiss had to think fast.

"I..um...I'm just a little thirsty."

Father scoffed at her as he raised his arm to flag down a waiter. "Sweetheart, we have people for that."

Weiss grabbed his arm and pulled it back down. "What? No, I can get it. I'll be right back, I promise."

_'Seriously? We are not helpless.'_

**_'Stop thinking it and SAY it!'_ **

Father stared at her obviously displeased. Weiss put on her most passive face, and he eventually turned around and rejoined his other conversation without acknowledging her further.

Weiss looked over and caught Mrs. Eglin looking at her.  The mask covered half of her face, but Weiss could see the pity in her green eyes.

Weiss gave her a weak smile, then turned and walked away.

 _'So much for being a rebel...'_ She thought to herself as she walked over to the painting. _'I keep falling right back into old habits...'_

**_'So quit it. You are better than this.'_ **

She was finally away from the depressing conversation, but that unfortunately brought about different problems...

"It's beautiful. You two match."

_'Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me! Here we go again.'_

Weiss sighed as she refused to even look at the guy hitting on her.

"Yes, it's a lovely painting."

The boy seem to catch the hint in her tone, but he wasn't deterred. At least he was acknowledging how bad he was doing.

"So....That was my attempt at breaking the ice... How am I doing so far?"

"You are leaving a lot to be desired."

_'Seriously, even Jaune did a better job than you, and that is saying something. At least he didn't start with complimenting my looks. He recognized that there was more to me than that.'_

"Well, I've always admired honesty. Henry Marigold." He said as he held out his hand.

Weiss finally turned her head to look at him with an unimpressed look. She had played this game more than once, and really had no desire to do so again right now. She had to be polite though, so she placed her hand in his. She internally grimaced as she realized the smell of his expensive cologne was going to be stuck with her the rest of the night.

"Weiss Schnee."

"I know. I saw your performance, obviously."

He seemed to think for a second.  "You were wonderful, and I'm not just saying that cause you're pretty."

_'Wow, I wonder if he uses that on every girl he meets.  I'm more than a pretty face.'_

"Honesty, remember?" He said with a grin, trying to crack her icy mask. He was not doing well.

_'Gods, this guy is like the worst parts of Jaune mixed with Neptune's cockiness and looks. At least give me the good parts of those two and you **might** have had a shot.  I'm a huntress, not a pretty thing to show off.  Get that through your skull.  Germaine might have thought I was pretty too, but even she saw me as a huntress first.'_

Henry looked up at the painting.  "So, you thinking about buying it?"

Weiss looked up at the painting herself. "No, I don't think so."

_'Please, just shut up and go away.  I'm not interested in you.'_

"Yeah, kinda pricey for a painting."

That caught Weiss' attention and she turned her head and gave him an annoyed look.  He was getting on her nerves.  "It's to raise money."

Henry looked at her.  "Really? For what?"

He said it so nonchalantly she couldn't believe it. Now she was **mad**. How could he not know what this whole thing was for?

"For what!?"

Henry huffed and stood up, taking a glass off of a passing server's tray.  "I'll admit, I only come to these things for the food and drinks...and the extraordinary company, of course."

As he took a drink, Weiss turned to face him fully. She felt that familiar anger welling up in her that she had tried so hard to stomp down while at Beacon. The more the man in front of her spoke, the more she wished she had her sword. He didn't even know what the fundraiser was for.

_'This asshole doesn't even care!'_

**_'Then do something about it.'_ **

Weiss was more than happy to agree with that and gave him a glare that could freeze Yang in her tracks.

"Get....out."

Henry gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Get out, or I will have security escort you out."

"But, I haven't done any..."

Weiss didn't even let him finish.

"Leave!"

She was surprised that her outburst didn't attract any attention. Everyone else was too absorbed in themselves to care. The idiot scoffed at her as he left.

"Whatever."

Weiss crossed her arms and turned back to the painting, quietly seething, trying to calm herself. She looked down at the plaque in front of the painting. _'All proceeds go to the Kingdom of Vale. Show the world we care.'_

_'If only anyone here besides me really **did** care.'_

"Yep, definitely a baddass."

Weiss grinned at hearing the cheery voice coming from her left. "Hello, Germaine."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" The other familiar voice followed in mock hurt.

Weiss smiled as she looked at them. "Good evening to you too, Andrew."

Looking him over, she noticed he kept his look laid back for his status.  Simple black dress shirt and slacks with a silver tie.  It was nice how her friends weren't gaudy and flaunting their wealth like Father expected her to.  She felt too fancy and overdressed compared to them.  Pushing aside her envy at the freedom they had compared to her, she gave them a smile.  "How did you two get away from your families?"

Germaine shrugged. "They thought you looked like you needed some company.  Kind of hard to support your friend when you have to stay quiet because it's 'proper', so mom cut me loose."

Andrew smiled.  "I saw you break off and head this way, so I excused myself.  Dad was cool with it.  Said you looked like you needed someone to talk to."

Weiss glanced over at Andrew's parents. Mr. Silverstein was a tall man, like his son.  Silver hair with a grey suit.  Mrs. Silverstein was wearing a black dress with silver accents.  Her dark brown hair was cut short.  Andrew had mentioned to her once that his mom worked in R&D while his father ran the business side of things.  His father was looking her way and gave her a subtle nod.  She smiled back before turning back to her friends. "I appreciate it."

Andrew grinned back. "She is right though. That was pretty cool. That guy deserved to be told off. I wonder how many of these people actually understood you just sang the most brutal anti-dynasty song on the planet."

Weiss chuckled. "Father definitely understood. He won't show it, but he was fuming."

Germaine smiled. "My parents understood, for sure. They wanted me to let you know you're alright in their book."

Andrew smiled. "Same here. You definitely have their approval."

Weiss smiled. "Thanks." The smile slipped away and she sighed as she looked back at the painting, remembering her time there. "I don't think I belong here."

Germaine and Andrew looked at each other, then the squirrel Faunus spoke up. "What do you mean?"

Weiss closed her eyes. "I'm just sick of being stuck here. This is not the life I want for myself. I want to help people. I want to make my name mean something good again. I just feel like I can't do that here. People like you and your parents are great people, but they are the minority in Atlas. We are surrounded by people who only care about their money, but I can't distance myself from them. I don't have the kind of freedom you both have. I'm stuck here with Father playing his game that I can't win. All the rules are stacked in his favor...and..."

Weiss scowled and her hands curled into fists. "...it's just so...frustrating."

Andrew was about to say something, but in a small space of quiet in the background noise of the room, a voice stuck out and caught the attention of the young adults.

"But really, does it come as any surprise what happened to Vale?"

They turned to look at some well dressed lady talking to who Weiss assumed was her husband.

"It was a long time coming if you ask me."

Her 'husband' looked nervous and tried to get her to stop talking. She wasn't catching the hint. "What? You said the same thing last night. If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defense, then I say good riddance."

Now Weiss was fuming again. Her friends noticed the increased tension in her body and looked at her worriedly. There is no way she was going to let this go.

**'Take her aside and explain to her why she is wrong. Don't make a scene.'**

**_'She isn't going to listen to that. She is too caught up in herself. All of these people are!'_ **

_'It was Atlas's robotic troops that caused half the problems there! This stupid bitch doesn't know what she is talking about! Her entitled ass wasn't there on the ground keeping people alive! These people **Don't. Know. ANYTHING!'**_

Weiss finally snapped.

"Shut Up!"

That caught everyone's attention, including her Father's. She barely heard him speak her name in warning, but she was beyond caring.

"You don't have a clue! None of you do!"

The lady looked like she had never been talked to like that before. She probably hadn't been if her husband was any indication. She didn't like Weiss' tone.  "Excuse me!?"

Weiss verbally laid into the woman, arms swinging in anger to emphasize her displeasure. Andrew and Germaine backed up. His face showed his worry. Her's was filled with wonder. "You're all just standing around talking about nothing! Worrying about your hair, your money! Your stupid problems that don't mean anything!"

Jacques apparently had enough at that point and came rushing over to Weiss, grabbing her by the arm.  "Weiss, that's enough!"

**_'Don't let him control you! Stand up for yourself!'_ **

Weiss was not having any of that. She was far too angry to care about making a scene.  "Let me go!"

"You're embarrassing the family!"

_'Oh, hell no! You are **not** making this about the family! You're the damn embarrassment to this family!'_

Weiss practically growled at him. "I said...let GO!"

As she yanked her arm away, she lost her balance and fell to the floor. As she fell, her first thought was to protect herself from injury as she hit the tiles. Weiss noticed a bright light next to her and as she looked up, she saw the Boarbatusk that she killed the day after initiation. Before she could react, the summon roared and started charging at the woman that she had been yelling at like she was Weiss' enemy.

The woman started apologizing and pleading to be left alone. Weiss couldn't get her mind to start working to try and call it off. She could just stare as the Grimm kept charging. As it leapt at the woman, a sudden shot rang out and the summon was destroyed. The woman immediately changed her tune, yelling for Weiss to be arrested.

As she looked up, Weiss saw General Ironwood looking at her while the woman kept screaming.  "What are you waiting for? She's insane. She should be locked up!"

Ironwood watched Weiss for a moment longer, before looking back to the woman calmly.  "She's the only one making sense around here."

He turned to Father as he put his gun away and walked out of the room.  "Thanks for the party, Jacques."

Weiss looked up at her Father. He was glaring at her.

**'This is not going to turn out well for you. You went too far.'**

_'Well, I wanted to rebel. Guess I got my message across...'_

Her friends helped her to her feet. She noticed their parents looking at her. Unlike the others in the room, the looks on their faces said they agreed with General Ironwood.  They might play the game, but at least it looked like they didn't agree with it.

Germaine practically whispered in awe. "That was so hot..."

Weiss might have smiled at that if she wasn't dreading what she knew was coming. Andrew squeezed her hand once in support before the staff started clearing the room and her friends had to leave with their parents and the other guests.

The party was basically over at that point, and Weiss was ordered by Father to go to her room, where he followed her. She sat on her bed and put her head down and frowned as her Father went on a rant about her behavior.

 _'_ _Here we go...'_

As he finally got to a stopping point, she made a decision. She couldn't stay here anymore. She had more important places to be than with all these high society idiots. She needed to get back to Vale. Get to Patch and see her teammates.

**_'So quit tiptoeing around it and say what you mean.'_ **

"I want to leave."

Father turned around and looked at her, seemingly in disbelief.

"I beg your pardon?"

Weiss glared at him. There was no backing down now, even if she wanted to. She'd had enough. That cautious part of her that sounded like her younger self was oddly quiet at the moment.

**_'Make your stance clear.'_ **

"I said, I want to leave. I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to stay in Atlas anymore!"

Honestly, she wasn't surprised by the way he reacted. It was his true self.

"Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want!"

_'You never did! The only time you cared what I wanted is if it was what you already wanted for me! I literally had to fight to get what I wanted!'_

"This isn't about you! This is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"

_'Oh! NO YOU DID NOT!'_

**_'Show him what the Schnee name really means.'_ **

Weiss stood up off the bed glaring at him.

"I have done NOTHING but fight to uphold the honor of MY family name, a name that you MARRIED INTO!"

Weiss' head suddenly jerked to the side and as she turned it back to look at her Father, she brought her hand up to her stinging cheek as her eyes started to water.

She couldn't believe he actually did it.

_'He....he HIT me...'_

Jacques settled himself back into his 'I'm better than you and so I know what is best' attitude that he used on business partners and looked down at her like he was disappointment.

It was all an act and she knew it. He always did this to her. It used to control her, but she wasn't letting it happen this time.

"This behavior of yours is incredibly disappointing."

Weiss was still dumbfounded by the fact he had actually hit her. His words just washed over her. She barely heard them.

"You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone to in order to keep this family where it is."

Jacques continued his lecture.

"If you think running off like your sister is going to make the Schnee name stronger, you're wrong. Siding with her only divides us."

_'Are you serious? You think that is what this is about? How self centered are you?'_

Weiss felt like she was the one that needed to educate her Father now and gave him the same attitude he just gave her.

"I'm not 'siding' with anyone. I'm doing what I feel is right, and that does **not** include wasting my time up here with these clueless people in Atlas."

As he started walking away from her, she had a few more words for him.

"The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to leave. It's mine, and I'll do it as a Huntress."

**_'Good! Show him that you won't let him control you.'_ **

He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at her. She could see his hands curled into fists and she knew she was getting to him. She did not expect his reply though...

"No... you won't."

He turned around and started walking back to her.

"You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I specifically allow it. You are going to remain here, out of sight and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement on your future."

Weiss look at him in shock and anger. For the first time she could remember, she was **fully** in agreement with that defiant part of her.

_'This is MY life! Not o **ne of your business deals you stuck up old man!'**_

"Your presupposition that you can simply have whatever it is you want is a clear sign of our failure as parents."

_'Your failure i **s i** n everyth **ing** you hav **e ever d** one as **a 'par** ent'.'_

"But from now on, I'll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you."

_'Don **'t sta** rt preten **ding li** ke you act **ually ca** re.'_

"You can't just keep me from leaving!"

Jacques turned back and gave her that same sure look.

"I can, and the staff here will make sure of it."

"So now I'm just your prisoner?!"

He just looked at her like his point spoke for itself.

"You are my daughter. You're a child, and children are grounded when they misbehave."

Her rational mind was trying to make a comeback in a vain attempt to salvage her situation.

**'You're legally an adult, he doesn't have that right over you. Calm down Weiss, he knows that. Let's try a different tactic. He hates bad PR. Let's work that angle.'**

"This is only going to make things worse, Father. People will ask questions! They'll want to know why the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is suddenly no where to be found!"

**'There, he can't worm his way out of that.'**

Oh, how wrong she was...

"Which is why...you are no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

Weiss blinked.  "Excuse me?"

Jacques' ability to twist a situation to his benefit was being shown in full force now.

"Clearly, the trauma you endured at the Fall of Beacon was too much for you. Which is why you've generously revoked your claim to the company and its earnings, and passed them onto your brother Whitley."

As Weiss tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened, Jacques took one more verbal swipe at her.

"It's time to wake up and face reality. A child will listen to their parents, or they will be punished."

**_'NO! Do NOT let him get the last word in! You are better than that! Do NOT give up now! Show him who you REALLY are!'_ **

That was the last straw.

"Then it's a good thing that **YOU** aren't my parent!"

Jacques froze and after a moment, turned back to her.  "What did you just say?"

_**'No turning back now. No reason to keep hiding if your chance at the company is gone anyway. Be that huntress you always say you are! Let him have it!'** _

Weiss glared at him again. Backing down now would be pointless anyway. Plus, she had no desire to.  "Don't pretend you didn't hear me."

Jacques narrowed his eyes at her.  " **What** are you talking about?"

Weiss scoffed at him, then looked at him like he was the child being educated.  "Don't tell me you are actually surprised. After the way you treated this....'family'...are you actually surprised something like this happened?"

Weiss said the word 'family' so sarcastically, Jacques almost flinched.

Jacques took a step toward her, but she started slowly stalking toward him, all of her pent up anger and resentment at him boiling over.

"And you want to know what the funniest part of this all is, **Jacques**? That you were so awful to Mother that not only did she cheat on you, she did it with someone that you don't even see as people. A Faunus!"

Jacques did flinch back at that.

She knew that would get a reaction out of him, and she was right. She normally wouldn't bring race into the conversation.  She liked to think she was better than that, but she knew it would hurt his pride, and she was feeling **particularly** vengeful at the moment. To make her next point, she summoned a glyph above her hand.

"Oh, yeah. That's right. I should probably mention that not only am I not yours, I'm a Faunus on top of that. You came into this family. You stole the Schnee name. You are the one that has been dragging this family's name through the mud. You ruined my mother's life, stole my grandfather's company, ruined the name Schnee across the world for everyone that isn't a rich, stuck up asshole that has connections to you, all for the sake of money and power. So, Jacques, how does it feel to know that while you sit up in this castle built on the backs of those that you don't even consider people, pretending that you are making this family 'strong', that a Faunus will still **always** be more of a Schnee than you ever will?"

Jacques scowled and pointed his finger at her.  "Now, listen here you ungratefu..."

Weiss wasn't gonna let him even start talking.

"NO, YOU LISTEN! What are you going to threaten me with now, HUH? You going to slap me again? I wonder how long it would take for word of child abuse to get out. Oh, wait. I'm a legal adult now. So it would just be assault. You going to go make Mother's life MORE of a living hell now? You going to disown me? I'd like to see you try. I wonder how THAT would look on the news. **I'm** certainly not going to stop the paparazzi. Maybe I'll even mention that I'm actually a Faunus."

Weiss got right up in his face again and jabbed a finger into his chest. She had her aura up now in case he tried to get physical with her again.  "The ONLY reason that news about my heritage hasn't gotten out is because of MY efforts. I'M the one that kept that out of the papers. I'M the one that kept that away from the board. I'M the one that kept that away from all your racist business partners. I wonder how many of those investors will still want to work with us if I stopped keeping that information out of the public eye. You've just made your biggest mistake now by trying to keep me here as your pawn. You've given me no reason to stay."

Jacques finally got a word in when she had to stop for a breath.  "You will listen and do as I say, or you will never leave this room again."

 **_'_ ** **_He's grasping at straws now. You've got him off balance. Make sure he knows he isn't going to EVER win this.'_ **

Weiss gave him a condescending glare. The combination of smug self assurance mixed with the hate she felt for the man looked like pure evil on her face. "You can **try** to keep me here. I am not your pet. I am not your puppet..."

She grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down so their heads were on even height. She lowered her voice to a sinister whisper that would chill most people to the bone as she spoke in his ear.  
" **I. am. not. your. daughter** , and I will **not** be held in this gilded cage forever. You can count on that. Now, get out of my room."

Jacques scowled at her as she shoved him away and he stormed out the door. Weiss caught a glimpse of Whitely standing outside her door. He looked at her as it shut. It suddenly struck her what was odd about his behavior over the last few weeks. He had planned for this to happen. The devious little sleazeball had played her. She should have seen that coming a mile away.

_'He never liked Winter. He never liked me, but he was nothing but supportive since the moment I got back. He was trying to get me to have an outburst so that I'd be disinherited.'_

Weiss stormed out the door. 'Already you are failing to keep me locked away Jacques.'

"Whitley!"

Her brother turned around and gave her a smug smile.  "Yes, dear sister?"

Weiss glared at him. "I knew something was off about how you were acting. I should have seen it coming a mile away."

"Whatever do you mean dear sister?"

Weiss wasn't letting him play this off.  "You planned all of this. Being supportive of everything I've been doing, even though it would upset Father. You knew eventually he would not take anymore and you could sweep in and get the company."

Whitley just gave her a grin that slowly turned into a scowl as he spoke.  "It's unwise to not do as Father asks..."

He perked back up to his smug self.  "Don't worry Weiss. The Schnee name is in good hands."

As he started walking away, she had one last thing for him.  "All you have to do is give up all your free will and be a puppet. I wonder how well you will manage once he's not there to pull your strings and tell you exactly what to do?"

Whitley stopped mid step and as she went back in and slammed her door, she cut off whatever he was about to say.

_'Seems I got the last word in that time...'_

Weiss went and sat down on her bed and looked at the floor, a sad frown on her face.

**'Now you've lost your chance to fix things...'**

_'Sorry Blake. It looks like I won't be improving the company after all...'_

As the adrenaline rush from her confrontation with Jacques bled away, Weiss sniffed and wiped some tears that started to fill her eyes at the thought of letting her friend down.

**_'No..you haven't. You haven't let her down. You don't need to be heiress to fix this.'_ **

She blinked and sucked in a sharp breath as a scenario started forming in her mind, the puzzle pieces coming together on their own.  
_'Wait, If I go on to become a huntress, and he has no way to stop me from letting news of my heritage get out, I can save the Schnee name AND force change in the company. He can't stop the rumors of my outburst at the party from getting out. If word gets out that I'm a Faunus and just the day after the outburst, I suddenly give up my inheritance? Even with his PR team, there will still be rumors that he got rid of me after finding out I'm a Faunus. It would be so simple to let them know that he had no idea of my heritage before that night. With all the other rumors going around, people will just eat that up. Even if I correct them, it still makes him look bad. That is going to put pressure on him. Reporters will want to talk to me too and I can tell them what he does. He will have to do something just to keep up the company image.'_

Suddenly, she had a realization.

_'I was wrong. My mind and heart were not one. He still had control over me. I was still scared to lose what I had.'_

Weiss stood up and walked over to her full length mirror, looking at her reflection in it. As she watched, she saw two more images of herself conjured from her imagination. One on her left that looked like the girl that left for Beacon a scared child that hid behind the icy mask. The one that was scared to defy him. The one that wasn't sure if she could do it. The puppet that represented all her doubts and fears. It stared at her with that icy gaze.

**'You could have just played along and had the company. It was the safe option.'**

On her right, she saw what she could be. A battle scarred huntress out there making the Schnee name mean something good again. Not as just as another 'Schnee', but as 'Weiss Schnee'. It looked at her with determination and purpose.

**_'Be who you were always meant to be. Who you WANT to be.'_ **

Weiss' eyes moved between the two images for a moment, then her expression hardened. There was no question in her mind now.

_'No more. He just gave up his last trump card. He's got nothing to hold over me anymore. There is nothing left for him to take.'_

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the icy gaze looking back at her. She focused her aura over her hand and with a defiant shout, punched that image right in the face, shattering the mirror and her doubts in a single determined act. In the fractured reflection, she saw the battle scarred huntress smile at her with a nod before both images faded away.

"This conversation is over. Mirror, Mirror, now we are done..."

As she turned away from the broken shards, she stalked over to her desk, opening the case sitting on it and staring down at her sword, whispering to herself.

"I've pulled myself together now, my mind and heart are one..."

As she pulled Myrtenaster from its case and stared at the blade, she only had one thought on her mind.

_'And this time I am certain...'_

"This life is mine..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always welcome.


	5. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss is getting ready to make her move. There is just one last thing she needs to do first...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posting, but I was scrambling to get the rest of what I wanted added into the chapter and proofread before I posted. So, enjoy this massive 7,000 word chapter to finish off Volume 4.

The next morning after her confrontation with Jacques, Weiss awoke feeling energized and determined.  It was probably the best she had felt in months.  Heading to the dining room for breakfast, things looked fairly normal with Whitley and Jacques already present.  Mother was absent like usual.  She hadn't eaten in the same room as Jacques in years.  It was like Jacques was trying for a 'business as usual' attitude.

_'Probably hoping I'll just fall back into routine again.'_

Unfortunately for him, Weiss had a new routine, and it didn't involve trying to make Jacques happy or avoid his wrath. She welcomed the challenge now.

Although Weiss planned on staying in her room training most of the time, she decided to still take her meals in the dining room.  It was partially to make things easier on Klein because she didn't want to make him suffer having to bring her meals all the way to her room.  He didn't deserve the extra work.  It was also partially to upset Jacques.

Whitley was the first to try and start conversation in his usual smug manner. "So sister, I see you have decided to join us for breakfast again instead of hiding in your room."

Weiss didn't bother looking up from her plate. She wasn't even feigning disinterest in his jibes, she honestly just didn't care anymore. She had more important things to focus on now. "I have a busy day ahead of me remodeling the room into something useful, so I figured I'd get a good breakfast in before I started."

Whitley looked confused. "What do you mean 'something useful'? It's a bedroom."

Weiss just kept eating. After swallowing her next bite, she replied politely. She decided he wasn't worth the effort of putting snark into her voice. "Nothing concerning you."

In a pleasant turn of events that had her smiling on the inside, her completely non-confrontational and friendly tone actually made her brother more annoyed.  Whitley was apparently determined to get a reaction of some kind out of her though. "I suppose you do have plenty of extra time on your hands. Not being the heiress anymore and all that." 

Weiss didn't rise to the bait. Strangely enough, she was perfectly fine with the outcome now that she had time to think about it. She was looking forward to getting back into her training so she could get out of the mansion sooner. She smiled happily to herself as she mentally went over her plans for the day. "I have plenty to keep me occupied."

Whitley gave her a look, but seemed to give up his attempt to upset her. That was when Jacques finally spoke up.  "Weiss. What are you planning on doing to your bedroom? I trust it isn't related to that pointless huntress business."

Weiss looked into his eyes and arched a single white eyebrow at him which clearly said he was asking a stupid question. She then went back to her food without answering him. The message was clear.  
_'You aren't worth a reply.'_

Jacques raised his own brow at that. He looked as irritated as he sounded. "Did you forget your manners again?"

Weiss placed her fork down on her plate as she finished her breakfast and looked up at him with her hands folded on the table in front of her. "I was under the impression that showing manners in this house was reserved for those that were worthy of respect."

_'You want to keep playing the game, then fine, but I'm playing by **my** rules now.'_

Turning to Klein as he walked into the room, she gave him a smile and respectful nod. "Thank you for a wonderful meal Klein. If you will excuse me, I have lots to do."

Klein nodded his head, seemingly unaware of the exchange between Weiss and Jacques. "Of course, Miss Schnee. Have a pleasant day."

The small grin she saw under his bushy mustache though told her that he heard the entire conversation.

The look on Jacques face also spoke volumes that this message was also clear.  _'The servants are more worthy of respect than you.'_

Weiss left the room with grace and purpose before he could reply. A little tingle ran up her spine as the door closed behind her and she smiled at the pleasant feeling as she made her way to her room with a bounce in her step. She had lots to do.

Entering her bedroom, Weiss looked over the area.

_'Move the chairs and benches over to the wall opposite the bed.  Take the pictures down...'_

As the new layout formed in her mind, she began moving furniture to clear out a space for training.  She could have used the gym in the mansion, but then she would have to deal with interruptions from Jacques and Whitley.  Jacques mostly avoided her room even before the incident, so she would probably never see him.  The larger pieces were heavy and Weiss wished she had spent more time building muscle...or had Yang here to help her.  With neither of those things available, and not a tiny amount of her ego on the line, Weiss grunted and strained, but got the heavy wooden pieces where they needed to be.  She felt a sense of accomplishment that spurred her to keep going.  It was as she was standing on a glyph taking things off the wall that her scroll rang on her bed.

Letting the glyph disappeared and dropping to the floor, she put down the painting she was holding and walked over.  Smiling as she saw Andrew's name on her scroll, she answered and sat down on her bed to get comfortable.  "Hello Andrew.  How are you?"

Andrew's slightly worried face relaxed just a bit seeing her smile. "I could ask you the same thing. Have you seen the news this morning?"

Weiss shook her head. "I've been busy. Is something wrong?"

Andrew pursed his lips. "Apparently there was an announcement from the SDC this morning that you had given up your stake in the company due to 'Mental trauma from your experience at the fall of Beacon'. "

Weiss blinked. "Wow, he worked fast. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though."

Andrew frowned. "Reporters were asking witnesses about your outburst at the party. My parents actually put a good word in for you when they got asked, so you got someone in your corner there. What-"

Weiss' scroll beeped again with a second incoming call. It was Germaine. Weiss sighed. "Hold that thought Andrew. I'm pretty sure I know what this is about, so I can tell you both at the same time."

Answering the call, Weiss watched as her screen split and Germaine's face came up on her phone, grouping the three together. "Weiss! Wha- Oh, hey Andrew. Weiss! What happened? Are they lying? Did you really give up your inheritance? I don't think you would so they must be lying, right? I-"

Weiss held up a hand and snapped her fingers in front of the camera. The odd action caught Germaine off guard and caused a stop to the stream of questions coming from the purple haired girl as she blinked in confusion. Weiss gave her a small smile. "Calm down Germaine. I'll explain everything in a moment."

_'Thank you Ren for showing me how you get Nora to stop talking.'_

Getting comfortable on her bed once again, Weiss took a deep breath and recounted the events of her argument with Jacques, keeping the part about her being a Faunus and not being Jacques' daughter to herself for the time being. She would tell them all eventually, but that was a subject she wasn't ready to get into at the moment.

As she spoke, Andrew and Germaine's faces slowly turned from curious to angry at the way Weiss was treated.  Andrew looked particularly mad when she told them about the slap and Germaine had her tail in her hands. She flinched and let go and Weiss realized Germaine had squeezed the fluffy appendage so hard in anger she hurt herself.  Their looks changed quickly to ones of approval when she told them of her response to Jacques.  Andrew looked particularly impressed.  As she got to the end of her story, her two friends looked at her with sympathy. Germaine looked worried.  "You going to be ok?"

Weiss gave her a soft smile.  "I'll be fine.  I might be stuck here for the time being, but I've never felt more free and in control.  I'll get out of here eventually.  I just need to bide my time for now and prepare."

Andrew spoke up. "Anything we can do to help?"

Weiss shook her head. "I don't want you or your families getting involved right now. Jacques still has a lot of power in Atlas and I don't want your families becoming targets of his anger.  Trust me, just having you guys to talk to does wonders for me."

_'You have no idea how much that simple thing means to me.'_

Germaine smiled.  "Well, if you need us, we're just a scroll call away, ok?"

Weiss smiled. "Thanks."

Andrew looked at his watch.  "Ah, crap.  I need to get going.  Mom wanted me to help her on her new Dust injector project.  I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Both girls waved goodbye to Andrew as he hung up the call.  Germaine focused back on Weiss.  "So, does he know about...?"  Germaine pointed at her eyes.

Weiss nodded.  "Yeah. I rubbed it in his face, actually."  She smiled.  "You would have enjoyed watching it.  He did not like it when he found out I'm not his, and a Faunus on top of it.  I'll tell Andrew and Vanellope and Edward eventually.  I'm just not ready to talk about all of it yet."

Germaine nodded.

A voice came into the background of the call.  "Sweetie, are you busy?"

The purple haired girl looked up away from her screen and spoke up.  "Hey mom.  Just talking to Weiss."

The familiar black hair and green eyed woman appeared in the frame.  "Hello Miss Schnee."

Weiss blinked.  Germaine's mom wasn't wearing her mask, and Weiss saw that the older woman had two large front teeth in her smile, much like the animal she took after.

_'So, that is why she wears the mask. Those wouldn't pass as human.'_

Weiss quickly caught herself and smiled. "Hello ma'am, and just Weiss is fine.  How are you?"

Mrs. Eglin gave her another warm smile.  "Just fine dear.  Thank you for asking.  Have a good day."  She stood up and gave her daughter a kiss on the top of her head and walked away.  Weiss could still hear her talking.  "Sweetie, lunch will be ready soon. Come on down when you are done talking to your friend."

Germaine looked over at her mother. "Sure thing mom.  Be down in a bit."  As she turned back to her screen, her eyes lit up.  "Oh, I almost forgot. The four of us have a little get together at the end of each month and I was supposed to ask you if you'd like to join us."

Weiss smiled at first, but then frowned.  "I would love to, but I'm kind of stuck here, and I doubt Jacques would allow me to have guests over."

Germaine waved off her concerns.  "Not a problem.  We are all busy, so we just do it over scrolls and watch movies and talk and stuff.  It's like a slumber party, but over scrolls."  Germaine smirked.  "We can gossip about cute girls."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Don't you think Vanellope will feel left out then?  Anyway, yes, I'd be delighted to join.  Just let me know when."

Germaine smiled. "Awesome.  Ed and Vanellope should be back by then.  Ok, I need to get going.  Talk to you later, ok?"

Weiss nodded. "Bye.  Have a good day."

As Weiss set the scroll back down in her lap, she smiled as she looked around the room.  Her work led to some interesting results.  Half of her bedroom looked extravagant and wealthy, while the other half was bare and utilitarian.   Her training area was almost ready, she had a 'slumber party' at the end of the month, and she would eventually make her way back to her other friends.  With those happy thoughts in her mind, she got up and got back to work.  It would feel good to have a real workout after so long.

\-----

Whitley would drop by now and again to 'talk', but he would generally leave after she ignored him.  She had nothing to say to her brother anyway.  He began avoiding her room when she was practicing her glyph and sword work.  It was easy to tell when she was training as her grunts and yells as she leapt off of glyphs spread around the walls and ceiling would carry into the hallway through her door.  That was a daily occurrence now.  The rest of the month was routine.  Tense meals with Jacques and her brother, then training, then bathe and sleep.  Every few days she would talk to Germaine or Andrew to keep her spirits up.

Jacques had cut off her allowance, and probably would have tried to cut off more of her resources, but there was nothing he could really take away from her at this point, except her sword.  She slept with Myrtenaster in her bed now to avoid that very thing.  She carried it with her at all times too, never letting it out of her sight.

_'Ruby would be giving me so much grief right now if she could see me sleeping with my weapon in my bed. I look like the weapons geek now.'_

That thought had her thinking about Ruby again, and brought back the confusing situation she found herself in concerning her leader. She shoved that to the side in favor of more immediate concerns.

**_'You need to talk to her if you want to figure this out. No point in dwelling on it now. Concentrate on your training and equipment. Once you get to Vale, you can figure things out with her.'_ **

The lack of funding from Jacques wasn't much of an issue. She had been slowly withdrawing money from her trust fund ever since she had gotten home and had a sizable fund hidden away. When she needed something special, she would give Klein cash and he would use it to pick up her items while he was out picking up the things the manor normally needed, leaving no paper trail for Jacques to follow.  
This was how she acquired a new huntress outfit for when she escaped. She had taken what she could from her previous outfit and what she had in her closet, but there were some things she just didn't have that she was going to need. Everything was hidden away until the time was right.  There was just one thing left she had to do before she could make her escape, but before that, she had a get together to attend.

But before all of **that** , she ended up having one more thing to do that day when Klein informed her that Jacques wanted to talk to her in his office.

Arriving at the door, she knocked twice to let him know she was there and then entered.  Normally, she was expected to wait outside after knocking until he called her in.  It was a common power move in business, but she wasn't playing by his rules anymore.  He looked up from his desk, annoyed that she hadn't waited.  "You truly have forgotten your manners, haven't you?"

Weiss shrugged.  "You requested my presence.  You knew I was coming and I knocked to let you know I was here.  If you were not prepared for my arrival, you should not have called for me yet."

Jacques had a very good mask, but she saw his mustache twitch in irritation.  He gestured to the chair across from his desk.  "Have a seat."

Weiss stood in the center of the room.  "I'm fine here.  I trust this won't take long?"

Jacques looked like he was visibly trying to keep his composure.  He looked down at his desk while he spoke, like he had more important things to worry about.  Another common tactic of his she was forced to endure over the years.  "After much deliberation, I've decided that if you plan on continuing this huntress business you are so intent on, I will allow you to attend Atlas Academy when the new semester starts.  You will be required to come home each evening after classes though."

"No."

Jacques' face started getting red in anger when he looked up at her deadpan expression.  "Young lady.  I raised you better than this.  You will-"

"No."  Weiss' face still had the same deadpan expression and her words were firm and even and emotionless.  "You did not raise me.  Mother raised me for a few years.  Winter raised me after you destroyed Mother.  The servants and tutors raised me after she escaped.  After I left, my team mates at Beacon raised me.  They taught me a better way to live.  The only thing you taught me was how to hate and belittle and care about money and prestige.  I will not be attending Atlas.  I will not be under the control of people you have influence over.  I will not live the way **you** want me to.  I am my own woman, and I will live the way I choose."

Turning away, she walked back towards the door.  "And if you try and disown me and kick me out, you'll only be doing me a favor."

As she opened the door, Jacques' mask finally broke.  "Weiss!  You get back here this instant!  I'm not done talking t-"

The door slamming behind her muffled the sound of his yelling and Weiss stood there in the hall for a moment before she slumped against the wall with a shudder.  It wasn't the same feeling like years before when she left his office in fear just relieved to get out without incurring his wrath.  This feeling was different.  It was pleasant and exhilarating and wonderful and quite frankly, a little addicting...and she loved it.  Straightening herself back up on slightly shaky legs, she made her way back to her room.  It was getting late and she had an important appointment to keep.  

\-----

An hour later as Weiss sat at her vanity brushing her hair, her scroll rang.  Looking down, she smiled seeing a group video chat notification.  It was something the four friends had done once a month for the last two years, and Weiss was so happy when they invited her.  This would be the first time she joined in.   Germaine had told her it was like a slumber party, but over scrolls.  It would be easier if they all just went to one person's home, but with Weiss basically under house arrest and the others with such busy schedules, that wasn't an option.

Extending her scroll to its larger tablet configuration, she smiled at the three faces looking back at her from three different cameras. 

Germaine had her hair in it's natural long bob cut and for the first time she remembered, was wearing thin framed glasses.

_'I guess she wears contacts out in public to maintain her image.'_

She was also wearing a black tank top and purple pajama pants, her fluffy tail visible over her shoulder.  Weiss noted how much more comfortable she looked compared to when she was wearing a dress at public events.  She was the Ruby of the friends.  Friendly and hyper and an awkward weapons geek.

Edward was sitting cross legged on his bed.  He wore a simple, brown loose fitting button up pajama shirt and pants.  His black hair still wet from what she assumed was a shower and his hazel eyes still held the same seriousness they always did, but they were just a little softer and relaxed when it was just him and his friends and he did have a smile on his face.  In the little time she had got to know him, Edward struck Weiss as the her of their group.  He was the serious, strict, focused one of the friends.  She knew he had a sense of humor buried under his serious expression, but it was difficult to get out.  He liked sophisticated humor and the arts.  It was something Weiss could appreciate.

Andrew was laying on his bed too, his silver hair hanging down instead of in the side part with high sweep he had when she normally saw him.  He was dressed in simple black pajama pants and no shirt, much like a few of the male students she had seen at Beacon the night before initiation.  He wasn't anywhere near as muscled as those students, but he was quite fit for a civilian.  Weiss absentmindedly noted that she felt no attraction to him either, but let that thought drift away.  She had found out over the last month that he had been dating Vanellope for the past year, so even if she had been interested, he was taken.  He was like the Blake or Pyrrha of their little group.  Pleasant and polite, but friendly and hiding a sense of humor if you knew how to bring it out.  Vanellope was the one that was able to do so.

_'Probably why they make such a good pair.  Speaking of which...'_

"Hello everyone. Where's Vanellope?"

Edward smiled. "Oh, she was grabbing some snacks. She'll be here in...."

His face dropped and his eyes went wide as he looked somewhere off screen.

"HEL-LO!"  A cheerful voice yelled out as Vanellope landed onto the bed next to her brother, causing him to bounce out of frame and yell as it sounded like he crashed onto the floor.

"Dammit Nell!"

Vanellope just leaned over with her head out of frame and yanked her brother back onto the bed.  "Oh, chill out bro. Now come on, I barely got to talk to Weiss before we left."

Vanellope Sweet was without a doubt the Yang of the group.  She liked simple humor and playful teasing.  Not much could bring her mood down.  She apparently also shared in Yang's desire to show off when it came to sleepwear.  Her aqua green tank top and shorts bordered on indecent.  Based on everyone else's lack of reaction to the look, Weiss assumed this was normal for her.  As opposed to the high ponytail she normally wore that resembled Weiss' own (albeit, Vanellope wore her's centered instead of off to the side), she had her black hair hanging down to her shoulder blades.  Her hazel eyes held a constant mischievous glint to them.

Turning her head back to the screen while Edward crawled back into frame rubbing his shoulder, Vanellope smiled at Weiss.  "Oh, forgot to tell ya.  We got your latter to that Professor Goodwitch lady.  She is scary before we told her why we were there.  She says hello, by the way, and that she'd make sure your letter got delivered."

"Weiss laughed.  "Yeah, she can be a little intimidating.  She was the combat teacher at Beacon."  Thinking about the school caused Weiss to frown, just a bit.

Vanellope gave her a sad smile.  "How ya holding up girl?"

Weiss perked back up while walking over to her bed and sitting down.  "I'm surviving.  Told Jacques off again today.  He's been trying to bully me into 'discussing my future'.  Wanted to get me to go to Atlas Academy, but come home every night after class.  I'm certain he was going to try and get General Ironwood to keep an eye on me and give him updates so he could try and control me.  I basically told him there was nothing to discuss and walked out of his office while he yelled at me.  It was..."   A pleasant shiver ran down her spine again at the memory, like the feeling when she finally mastered a difficult battle maneuver, or took down a particularly strong Grimm. "...exhilarating."

Vanellope grinned. "Nice."

  
Her brother spoke up next to her.  "Good to see you sticking to your guns like that.  It has to be awful being stuck in your house all day everyday."

Weiss shrugged while turning her scroll to show her training area.  The bare space was covered in scratches and gouges from her sword.  "I'm making good use of my time. I won't be stuck here forever and when I get out, I need to make sure I'm ready for anything.  My form has suffered from lack of practice.  I need to get back in shape and all this spare room is perfect for training."

She turned the scroll back to herself and grinned at the stunned looks on their faces. Andrew was the first to speak up.  "How did you get holes in your ceiling? That looks like at least thirty foot up."

Weiss grinned.  "Twenty five actually, and between my aura and semblance, I can reach some impressive heights."

Germaine spoke up with a big grin on her face.  "Can we see?"

Weiss smiled as she propped her scroll up at the end of her bed and leaned back against her pillows. "Not right now I'm afraid. I just got out of the shower and don't want to get sweaty again right before bed. I train everyday, so I'm sure I can show you all at some point if you are interested."

Germaine pouted and hugged her tail like a stuffed animal.  Weiss giggled at the sight until Andrew spoke up again, leaning close to his screen. "Is that a sword in bed with you?"

Vanellope smirked.  "Kinky..."

Germaine went red faced and Edward gave his sister a look that said he was ashamed to be related to her. Andrew snorted while holding back a laugh. Weiss felt no restraint and let herself go, laughing like she had with her friends after the food fight.  Once she recovered, she grinned while looking at Vanellope's smug expression and resting her hand on the blade.  "Nothing like that. This is just the only thing he can really still take from me that matters, so I don't let it out of my sight.  Even his most loyal staff won't come near my bed while I'm sleeping to try and take it.  I will admit it is a little...eccentric to sleep next to my weapon though."

Vanellope laughed.  "I don't think so.  Germaine probably has one in her bed."

Said girl pouted again.  "Mom and Dad won't let me keep weapons in my room.  They say I'd just tinker with them and never get to sleep."

Even Edward cracked a grin at that while they all laughed.  The rest of the night was happily filled with idle banter and movies.  Weiss smiled and let nostalgia of Beacon and the nights she spent with team RWBY and JNPR doing much the same thing wash over her, eventually falling asleep with a smile on her face. 

\----------------

The next six months passed in much the same manner.  It took her a lot of effort, but she finally felt she had not only regained her previous physique and skill, but had surpassed her previous skill level.  There was just one last thing she had to do.

  
Weiss was in the 'training area' of her room practicing her summoning when she was interrupted.

_'Come on. I'm missing something. This isn't just like training a muscle like Winter said. I'm past that now. Something else is holding me back.'_

As she knelt there with the glyph spinning in front of her, she could feel the summon rising from the glyph, but it was fighting her, or rather, something in her mind was fighting her. It was taking way more effort than it should.

_'Come on. Almost...there....'_

"Hello sister."

_'Dammit Whitley!'_

As the glyph faded away, Weiss opened her eyes and looked toward the door and her brother. These were the only times during her training that he bothered her. He knew she couldn't ignore him and still be able to train when it was her summoning involved.

"Leave."

Whitley gave a mock hurt tone and touched his chest.  "How hurtful. And here I am, about to offer you a favor."

He looked to be checking his nails while leaning against her door frame.  "Father is taking me to town to introduce me to some of his business partners. I thought I'd see if you wanted me to pick up anything, since you're...well...stuck here."

_'He is really trying to rub being the new heir in my face. He doesn't even realize that I don't care anymore. Why is trying to show me up such a big deal to him?'_

Weiss stood up and had to let her curiosity get the best of her.  "Are you jealous? Is that it?"

Whitley looked unaffected.  "Whatever do you mean?"

  
Weiss narrowed her eyes.  "Is that why you hate me? Are you jealous of my abilities? Of Winter's?"

_'Not that you couldn't have done this stuff too. You're a Schnee too Whitley. You would have our Semblance too if you ever unlocked your Aura.'_

Whitley stood up from the doorway and looked to be thinking.  "Hmmmm.....no, not really. Honestly, I find it barbaric. It's beneath people like me. Like Father."

Whitley looked over at her training area.  "What can a single Huntsman possibly do then that an army could not?  That is why we have one, even if it is run by a fool."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at him.  "You are aware that our mechanized army was not only partially responsible for what happened in Vale, but that I, a single Huntress, one only in training no less, was able to destroy an entire platoon of robotic soldiers by myself when they were turned on us? Not to mention that we do what we do so that we don't have to send dozens of soldiers out against the Grimm."

Weiss' grip on her sword tightened.  "Even someone that only cares about the bottom line, like Jacques, can see that one well trained Huntsman is worth dozens of standard soldiers. That is just taking supplies and transportation into account.  Simply having less casualties is reason enough.  That is why Atlas has a Specialist program.  Despite what you might be getting taught, people are not a disposable resource that you just mark down on a budget sheet."

Whitley tapped his chin with a finger.  "True, but Hunters take years to train. An army can be raised in a couple months and all get standardized training.  Much more efficient.  Maybe if you understood efficiency you wouldn't have been so keen to fight Father.  Then again..you always did like being...different.  I suppose that makes more sense these days though."

Weiss narrowed her eyes.  "You know Whitley, I had always hoped that even with how much you enjoy acting like Jacques, that you were above casual racism.  Now I see that you are truly determined to be just like him.  I never thought I'd actually pity you, but yet here we are.  Now, I suggest you leave."

Whitley actually looked taken aback by that, but he quickly recovered.

_'He's not completely gone yet. He can still be saved.'_

"Fine, fine. I've got better things to do. Enjoy your..training. However pointless it is."

As Whitley got to the door, he turned back.  "What is your plan anyway? What do you hope to accomplish while trapped in your bedroom?"

_'Not for long, brother. Not for long...'_

Weiss just stared at him.  "Whitley. I'm going to give you one last piece of advice.  Grow a backbone and a heart, or you are going to just be a puppet for Jacques for the rest of your life. Despite what he thinks, parties and board meetings are not the real world, and a rival company is not the enemy you need to worry about.  I've seen the real enemy first hand, and you won't be able to hide from them behind a pile of money when they come for you, because those are things you can't throw money at and make them go away."

Whitley smirked at her, but she could see from the look in his eyes, her words took hold. His mask wasn't as good as her's.  "Isn't that what our army is for?"

Weiss smirked right back as she dramatically looked around the room.  "Do you see the army here?"

Whitley's eyes went wide as the door slammed in his face, one of her glyphs fading from the back of it.

Weiss lowered her sword and turned back to the center of the floor.  Holding her sword in front of her face, she ran her eyes along the runes etched into the blade, the glyph once again appearing in front of her, then looked up at the one thing still hanging on the wall.  A painting of a knight like the one she defeated to get into Beacon.  With that, she closed her eyes and gathered up all of her will and focus, slamming the point of her blade into the floor so hard it cracked the marble, the glyph spinning faster.

As the light got brighter, she concentrated on what happened when she managed to summon before.

_'I need this to fight my enemies. This will make me stronger...'_

Images flashed through her mind. She was falling at the party. _'I need to protect myself...'_

The fight with the Paladin. _'I need to protect Velvet...'_

Yang crippled and missing her arm. _'Protect...'_

Blake bleeding from a stomach wound. _'Protect...'_

Pyrrha's circlet held in Jaune's hands as he wept. _'Protect...'_

Nora and Ren trying to get up so they could... _'Protect...'_

The image of Ruby, laying unconscious in her uncle's arms. _'Protect...'_

Weiss' eyes shot open and she could see the sword raising from the glyph as it spun faster and faster.

_'Not to fight my enemies. To protect those I care about!'_

With that realization, the resistance tugging at her mind snapped like a rubber band.  She almost physically reeled back at the sensation, like playing tug-of-war and the other person suddenly letting go.  The glyph flashed so brightly that Weiss had to cover her eyes.  She heard things crashing to the ground and the sound of smashing glass, a sudden wind blowing her hair around. When she opened her eyes, Klein was slamming the door open.

"Miss Schnee! Are you alright!?"

Weiss looked over to see his eyes go wide and his mouth drop open, and she gave him a grin as she turned to see her knight standing at attention in front of her.  She gave it a nod and it knelt, ready to obey her command.  To help her protect those she sought to defend.

She smiled.  "Yes Klein. I think I am."

_'A semblance is a reflection of the owner's soul.  A Summon is your defeated enemy assisting you in your purpose.  I was holding myself back. Created my own mental block.  Now, I know where I went wrong.  I've chosen my purpose in life.  What my soul reflects.  As a huntress, I choose to protect those in need.'_

She turned and looked out the shattered window, the cold wind of Atlas blowing through the room.  Her team and friends were out there.  They needed her and she needed to get to them.

"Klein. I need a favor..."

As she looked back at him, his eyes narrowed in determination and he nodded once.  She could see from the look on his face that he knew what she was thinking.

_'It's time.'_

\-----

Klein was good, Weiss decided. Really good.  Not two hours after she made her request, he already had located a pilot. Years of working for Jacques gave him access to some of the less than legal things he used to run the company. She just had to wait until after dark that night. While Jacques and Whitley were out in the city, Weiss quickly gathered up all the supplies and money she had been building up over the last three months. She put her new combat outfit along with a change of clothes in Myrtenaster's sword case along with her extra dust supplies and the lien she had stashed away. It wasn't much, but it was all she could get in a single case and she needed to travel light. She could get food and a better travel pack once she got out of the manor.

It was nine at night when they made their move. Weiss grabbed her sword and suitcase and made her way out of her room. She looked down the hall for Klein, barely holding back a shriek when she turned around and he was standing right behind her.

_'Dammit Klein! You could give Blake some pointers on stealth.'_

Klein put his finger to his lips, indicating that she needed to stay quiet, then motioned behind him with his head.  "Let's go."

Weiss quickly moved alongside Klein as they made their way down the halls. She stuck to the carpet as much as possible so her heels wouldn't click on the marble floor.  She chose to stay in her usual clothing so as not to attract attention.  If she were caught, she could hide her suitcase and pretend she was just up and about around the manor.  As they made their way to a back door, Klein's phone went off.  Weiss stayed quiet while he answered.

"Master Whitley! I... Um...Yes, of course. I'll be just a moment."

As he hung up he turned to her and whispered.

"Head to the first floor library. I'll meet you there."

Weiss nodded and headed to the library. She grimaced when she realized she would have to cross a marble floor. Her heels were going to make a racket in the dead quiet of the manor. As she crept closer to her destination, she passed by Jacques' office.  She was surprised to hear voices coming from behind the door.

_'He is still awake?  Wait...is that Ironwood?'_

As they argued, one person in particular kept coming up among the talk of spikes in weapon and dust trades.

_'Winter is in Mistral? And that sounds like war prep.'_

"SOMEONE is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop them."

_'Leo...? Lionheart?  Haven's headmaster?  What is going on with Ironwood and the other headmasters?  First Ozpin, now Lionheart...'_

Weiss' eyes went wide.

_'It's gonna be the fall of Beacon all over again, and Winter is there.'_

"By this time next week, the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing it's borders. No one in, no one out. Without the council's permission."

Weiss ignored the rest of what Ironwood and Jacques said lost in thoughts of her sister, but suddenly snapped to attention when she heard one of them walking toward the door.

_'I can't get caught! I won't get another chance to escape after this!'_

Weiss stood up quickly and conjured a glyph over the doorknob, locking the latch in place.  As she heard Ironwood hitting the door, she quickly made her escape.  She was half frantic when she got to the library, calling out in a harsh whisper.

_'Things are falling apart. I hope Klein shows up soon. If I get caught, I'll never get out of here.'_

"Klein! Klein, where are you?"

The sound of hinges opening caught her attention and she turned toward the corner to see Klein coming out of a passageway behind a bookcase.

"Keep your voice down, I told you I'd be here."

Weiss ran over and gave him a Ruby sized hug. He returned the hug and spoke quietly.

"Are you sure Vale is safe?"

Weiss shook her head. "New plan. Winter is in Mistral.  I'm going to find her and help.  She can get a message to Vale and let my friends know where I am."

Klein looked to the side.  "I suppose she'll be the only family you have left after tonight."

Weiss reached out and put a hand on Klein's shoulder.  "I'll always have you."

Klein smiled.  "You most certainly will."

Weiss looked him in the eye.  "Klein. You were more of a father to me than Jacques will ever be. I'm going to miss you."

Klein looked up and pulled a paper out of his pocket, handing it to her.  "That reminds me. You need this before you go."

Weiss unfolded the paper, which was actually an old picture. It had her Mother smiling and standing next to man that was roughly the same age.  He had shaggy brown hair and orange eyes.  The most noticeable feature, the one that caught her attention though, was the rows of sharp, pointed teeth in his smile.  Despite how disturbing that would normally be, his smile looked warm and friendly.  Weiss looked back to Klein with wide eyes.  "Is...is this...?"

Klein nodded. "Your biological father. Your mother trusted me with making sure you got that when you turned eighteen, so that Master Schnee couldn't legally stop you from going after him.  I made sure to hold onto it until you were ready to leave, so that Master Schnee wouldn't find out about it."

Weiss studied the picture, her Mother smiling.  She hadn't seen her Mother's smile in years.  She looked back up at Klein.  "Does he know I'm his?"

Klein shook his head.  "I don't know Miss Schnee.  Your Mother never spoke of him besides his name and making sure you got that picture."

Klein pointed to the bottom of the photo and Weiss read the name written there.

_'Galeo Henle. My father's name is Galeo Henle, and now I know what he looks like.'_

Weiss' eyes started to get misty.  "Thank you Klein."

Weiss wanted to speak more, but they both heard Jacques start yelling for Klein. He looked at her.  "Time to go."

Weiss put the picture away and grabbed her sword and suitcase, heading into the secret passage.  She turned as Klein started to close it behind her.  "Thank you Klein. I'll miss you."

Klein gave her a sad smile and a nod as the door closed. Now it was time to get to her ride.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of Volume 4. Weiss is finally out of the house and on her way to Mistral to find her sister and see if she can help save Haven from sharing Beacon's fate. She finally figured out how to summon and what was holding her back, and to top it off she finally has information on her birth father. If we are lucky we might even see her friends again, but only time will tell if canon gives me a chance to bring those fun OCs back.
> 
> Comments always welcome. Let me know what you thought.


	6. Terror in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss makes her way to Mistral, but there are some unforeseen complications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: Canon ages for the main characters have been officially updated, royally screwing up my timeline, so last chapter got a tiny update (just changed how long she was at home after the gala incident). I still need some help with my timeline though, but that is detailed in the ending notes.

_'Vale is a little rough right now. Flight won't be easy.'_

_'We aren't going to Vale. Change of destination. We are heading to Mistral.'_

_'That is going to cost extra.'_

_'.....'_

_'That....will work. Okay, you can hide out back in the cargo hold. I'll take you as far as I can, but if we get caught, you're on your own. Understand?'_

\------

Weiss had been riding with the Atlas pilot Klein hired for the last 7 hours. She had to bribe him extra to change the destination, but it was worth it. Luckily for her, she was able to grab a backpack and extra supplies from an all night supply store. The pack was water tight and even though MREs tasted awful, they would not get spoiled if they got wet, and would last her much longer than fresh food would.

_'If I'm going to be a huntress, these are things I was going to have to get used to anyway.'_

It didn't matter if the cameras at the store caught her buying supplies. She would be long gone before the police or Jacques' employees managed to find the tapes.

It was after midnight by the time they left. She had an audio message recorded and waiting for her to send to her friends that had helped her during the last seven months. As she got further from the city, she watched the signal strength on her scroll steadily drop. As the ship was just about the leave range, she hit send. They wouldn't be able to reply, and she felt bad about that, but she wanted to make sure she couldn't be tracked by Jacques.

**[To: Andrew, Germaine, Edward, Vanellope]**

  
**"By the time you all receive this, I will be out of range of the towers. I'm sneaking out of Atlas. I can't do any good for the world here anymore. I need to get back out there. I want to thank you all for being such good friends to me. I can't express in words how much you all helped me these last seven months. I am sorry that I'm leaving without telling you all before, but I couldn't risk Jacques finding out where I'm going, at least until it was too late for him to stop me. I needed to get out as soon as I could. I overheard Ironwood say that the borders are going to be closed within the next week. You should probably all inform your parents of that.**

  
**I'm going to Mistral to find my sister. Something is going to happen there soon involving Haven Academy, and I'm afraid it might be the same thing that happened to Beacon, and I need to be there to help stop it. Germaine, go ahead and let the others know my secret.  I intended on telling you all at some point, but I just never felt like the time was right.  Still, you are all my friends and deserve to know. I'm done wearing the mask. If I ever make it back to Atlas, you four will be the first to know. Thank you again. I'm going to miss you all.**

**Wish me luck."**

  
**[Message Sent]**

In Atlas four scrolls quietly beeped with messages for sleeping heirs and heiresses. In the morning four messages to Weiss were met with **[Message Failed]**. Following that, one scroll beeped with three new messages.

**[Andrew] What secret is she talking about?**

**[Edward] What secret?**

**[Vanellope] Girl. spill. now.**

The reply was four simple words, but instantly led to a three way video call that lasted for the next hour.

**[Germaine] Weiss is a Faunus.**

\-----

Once she had sent her message, she did manage to find herself able to sleep, even sitting on cargo containers. Weiss dreamt of her time training with Winter. The resignation in Winter's voice when she failed her battle exercise was saddening, but when Weiss' suddenly awoke with the rising sun, she was sure her sister would be proud of her now. She had overcome so much, and now she was going to make sure she continued to do so. Now that she was relatively well rested, it was time to get rid of her bulky suitcase and get adjusted to life on the road.

_'First things first. Getting out of this dress.'_

Although Ruby might disagree, combat skirts were an idea Weiss just couldn't entertain anymore. She loved her skirts, and never gave pants much thought before, but she couldn't swim in a skirt, and she needed to be ready for anything. The 'pretty heiress' was not a role she had to play anymore. Since it was just her and the pilot, she didn't need to worry about getting walked in on while changing, opting to just do so right there in the cargo hold. Carefully folding the dress up, she placed it in the bottom of her bag along with her second change of clothes.

_'Not going to need that anytime soon. Ok, clothes in the bottom, then medical supplies, then food and water. Extra dust in the belt pack. First aid kit in other pack.'_

Standing up, she looked at her reflection in the window. Her tight grey pants were durable so they wouldn't tear easily, but made of a material that wouldn't hold water, so they wouldn't weight her down when wet. The blue dyed leather corset had heavy black mesh running down the sides so she could make full use of her gills. Just like her dress from the dance, but of a more durable material.  
Weiss smiled, remembering to incorporate the useful mesh into her new combat outfit.

Her white heeled knee high boots would make traveling through heavy brush and forests easier. The tight sleeved white bolero jacket covered the rest of her exposed skin.

_'Initiation should have taught me that protection for my legs was a good idea. If I run low on aura, I need to keep myself from getting scratched up. Hmm...all those huntsman wearing armor makes so much more sense now...'_

She decided to forgo the gaudy Schnee snowflake that covered the back of all of her other clothes, opting for a smaller version just on the right breast of the jacket.

_'I might not be the heiress, but I'll always be a Schnee, and I'll make my family name means something good again, just like Grandpa Nicholas.'_

After doing a few stretches to make sure the pants still gave her a full range of movement, she did the same with the jacket, nodding to herself in satisfaction. Adjusting the belt at her waist, she made sure her two small supply pouches were secure and closed before placing Myrtenaster back at her waist and going up to see the pilot.

As she opened the door, the pilot glanced back at her, then back forward again. She walked up and put her hand on the back of the empty copilot's chair. "Where are we?"

"Northern Anima. Fueled up while you were sleeping. That was the last stop until Mistral."

Weiss furrowed her brows in concern. "Are you going to be able to stay awake until we get there?"

The pilot chuckled. "I've been doing this for years kid. I can make it. I'll sleep once we get there."

Weiss was about to say something else when the radio crackled with static.

"This is....-um. We are b-ng -ttacked. Gr-mm. Request assistance."

The pilot cursed under his breath and changed course. This concerned Weiss.  "We aren't going to help them?"

The pilot glanced at her again. "No way. We aren't a combat vessel, and I'm hoping our 'friends' keep the Grimm off of us."

_'We are just going to leave them?'_

The pilot glanced at her silence and seemed to read her thoughts.

"Look kid. If we picked up their transmission, then someone else probably did too. Your money gets you to Mistral, but my ship, my rules."

Weiss frowned at that. She wanted to argue, but as much as she hated it, he had a point. She couldn't force him to risk his life for them.

_'That was what I signed up for. He didn't.'_

As she looked at the radio one more time and turned to go back to the cargo hold, the reasoning didn't do much to ease the guilt she was feeling.

_'I'm sure they will be ok. Someone else is bound to have heard their distress call too.'_

Weiss couldn't help but feel she was lying to herself.

\------

It was half an hour later when Weiss saw something other than open sky. Everywhere around the ship were islands, but they were...floating. It was a sight she had never seen before, even in books. She walked back up to the cockpit again. "Where are we?"

The pilot shook his head. "No where good. Passing by some of Lake Matsu's floating islands. The gravity dust that forms in these things is giving us a little turbulence."

The pilot sounded a little smug. "Nothing I can't handle, but the islands sometimes hide some nasty Grimm. I'm just betting on our friends in distress keeping them preoccupied."

Weiss walked up next to him and looked around.

 _'Fascinating. Gravity dust crystals large enough to lift land masses. I wonder what I could do with....'_ "LOOK OUT!"

As Weiss admired the islands, she saw a Mistral airship trailing smoke and fire coming directly for them and yelled out the warning.

The pilot barely managed to dodge the ship and Weiss watched in horror as it smashed into one of the islands. The pilot had a slightly different response. "You've got to be kidding me."

The radio crackled again. "Oh my god! We've lost Percy!"

Weiss watched in fresh horror as Lancers, large hornet like Grimm shot out stingers from their tails that slammed into the sides of the second Mistral airship. The Mistral pilot yelled for help. "We're hooked!  We're hooked! Everyone abandon ship!"

The Mistral crew never got the chance as multiple Lancers dove into the ship, causing it to explode and kill everyone inside. Then the Grimm turned their attention on the Atlas vessel.

The pilot cursed again as he prepared to try and get away. "Lancers, freaking Lancers!"

While his attention was on the Grimm, Weiss scowled and turned for the hatch to the lower cargo compartment. She heard the pilot start talking to her, but her mind was already trying to form a plan to get them out of this alive. "Alright, buckle up- Huh?"

_'I NEVER have should let that slide. We should have went to help them right away. We all had a better chance together, now we are on our own. I can't call myself a huntress if I let people die just to save myself. If we get out of this alive, I'm never letting this happen again.'_

Getting to the bottom of the ladder, the pilot came over the intercom. "What are you doing?"

**_'My. Job.'_ **

As she drew her sword and walked over to the crates, she made her frustrations known. "What we should've done in the first place! You're carrying Dust, right?"

The pilot truly was a company man. He was smuggling Dust for Jacques to bypass the Dust embargo. "Officially, no. Actually, yes."

Weiss opened one of the crates and surveyed the Dust vials. They were the perfect size for reloading her sword. She had a plan. It wasn't a good plan, but it was the best they had. "Then when I tell you, open the rear door!"

She loaded the dust up and flicked the chamber shut, listening to it spin. It was working perfectly, like always. The ship suddenly rocked and she had to grab the ladder to keep her balance. The pilot came over the intercom again. "Better make it quick!"

Weiss conjured a gravity glyph on the floor to hold herself in place and held her sword up in front of her. "Ready!"

_'Here we go. I can do this!'_

As the door opened and she braced herself against the wind, she looked out to see a dozen Lancers trailing them. As the first one shot a stinger at her, she spun and slashed out with wind Dust, sending a wave of air out and halting the stingers momentum in addition to slowing down the Lancers. The Grimm were quick to catch back up though.

_'Gotta take some of them out.'_

Switching to fire Dust, she slid her fingers down the blade while pulling the trigger, drawing the Dust into her glyph and firing balls of flame at the Grimm, killing a few. However, many more evaded her attack.

The pilot's laughing came over the intercom as he evaded the Grimm. "Ha-Ha! Hold on!"

With that the airship banked hard and gave Weiss time to prep her next attack.

_'Need something that won't miss.'_

Taking a page from initiation, she cycled to her cyan Dust. No one was exactly sure what element cyan Dust was, but Weiss always just referred to it as 'Energy Dust'. It was useful as a power source and much more efficient than using lightning Dust to make electricity. The purpose that concerned her at the moment though was that, unlike fire, it was something she could exert much more control over with her semblance. Conjuring five separate glyphs in front of her, she started channeling the Dust and firing beams of pure energy at the Lancers, curving the beams with her semblance to make sure they all hit their targets. The beams were practically useless against the Giant Nevermore at initiation, but against the Lancers it was more than enough and the Grimm dropped by the scores, but more replaced them. That was when the ship rocked.

"What's going on!?"

The pilot yelled back through the intercom. "We're hooked!"

After a few more seconds of evasive maneuvers, the pilot came on again. "I've got an idea! Hold on!"

The ship suddenly dove for the water below, sending some of the Lancers smashing into one of the floating islands. The pilot laughed and Weiss had an idea. "Can you find a pair of islands we can fit between?"

The pilot apparently had the same idea and Weiss couldn't help but smile at his response. "Kid, you are reading my mind!"

As the airship passed under a cliff between the two islands, Weiss let fireballs fly, smashing into the cliff and starting an avalanche. She covered her face when some of the falling rocks barely missed the ship while smashing the remaining Lancers.

_'Phew. That was close.'_

As they came tearing out of the passageway, the pilot came over the intercom once more. "Yeah! Great going, kid! We are in the clear."

Weiss brought her hands to her chest and smiled as that same pleasant shiver she had grown to love ran down her spine again. She let out a breath as the adrenaline rush slowly ebbed away.

_'This is being what a huntress is about.'_

That was when she heard the buzzing, and looked up to face the biggest Lancer she had ever seen. Her eyes went wide as another spike of adrenaline hit her system hard. "It's a Queen Lancer!"

The pilot yelled in disbelief and Weiss channeled more of her cyan Dust into her glyphs, sending multiple beams crashing into the giant Grimm. However, like the Giant Nevermore, they had little effect. The Lancer started shooting bone spikes at the ship and Weiss quickly used more of her cyan Dust to conjure an energy shield over herself, deflecting the shards. Many of them stuck into the walls, letting her know just how fatal they would have been if they had struck her. One of the shards struck an engine and the pilot yelled for her to do something. She quickly looked around.

_'What do I have to work with? Dust....Lots of Dust!'_

Bending at the knees, Weiss conjured a glyph behind herself and leapt off of her gravity glyph, using the new one as a springboard to leap over the Dust crates, cutting the strap holding them secure as she landed on the other side of the stack. Conjuring multiple glyphs, she manipulated the Gravity Dust in the crates, causing them to float, then with a yell, she sent the entire cargo hold's worth of Dust straight at the Queen Lancer, causing a massive explosion and rocking the ship, causing Weiss to stumble.

_'That had to be enough Dust to take it out.'_

Weiss gasped and stared wide eyed as the Lancer emerged from the smoke and charged at them. The pilot once again came over the intercom. He was not nearly as composed as before. His voice was frantic. "I can see the shoreline! Gods, we're not gonna make it!"

_'Can't outrun it. Dust is low. Aura is...roughly three quarters. Ok, here goes nothing.'_

Weiss held her sword in front of her face and taking a deep breath, ran her fingers down the blade, letting her aura channel into the runes, then spun and jabbed it into the floor. Concentrating hard, she felt the Knight Summon heed her call, offering her no resistance. As it materialized, it saluted her and fell into a fighting stance. Weiss yelled out over the intercom. "Pull up, now!"

Conjuring a gravity glyph on the wall (that was formerly the ceiling), Weiss planted herself to the wall as her knight ran and leapt out of the cargo bay, hand springing off the back of the airship and leaping into the air. Closing her eyes and kneeling, Weiss took direct control of the summon, viewing the world through its eyes. It was like she was the Knight, and she summoned her sword as she plummeted towards the Grimm.

She stared it in the eyes before conjuring a glyph below it, dissolving herself and reappearing from the new glyph. She took a mighty swing at the Grimm and saw it reel in pain. Dissolving herself and reappearing from new glyphs, she mercilessly assaulted the Queen Lancer from every angle, never letting it recover. In a last ditch effort, the Lancer blindly launched it's tail hook at her, but she deflected it with her sword and with one final powerful swing, she slashed the Lancer in two, letting herself fade from existence as she saw it turn to black smoke and returning her senses to herself.

That was when she noticed that the ship had been hit by the deflected shot and she quickly grabbed onto a nearby pipe sticking out of the wall as alarms blared all around her. Looking at her sword, she took note of her Dust supply and quickly rotated the barrel to her remaining gravity Dust, conjuring as large of glyphs as she muster. The airship smashed through the first one unimpeded. The second one held for a moment, slowing the ship down. The third held for a few seconds before breaking, and the forth almost brought it to a stop, the sudden decrease in speed causing Weiss to lose her grip on the pipe and roll across the floor and into the front wall of the cargo bay. As the glyph broke, the ship suddenly jerked forward again, and Weiss found herself thrown from the cargo bay, nothing but clear sky above and blue water several hundred feet below, rapidly rushing up to meet her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weiss got herself a new Huntress outfit. My reasoning: You can't swim in a skirt that has more fluff and frills than an 80's movie. :)
> 
> Comments and ideas are always appreciated. (I've changed some minor things in a few of my later chapters based on ideas you guys have given me.)  
> Speaking of ideas, could actually use a little help from the readers here. Volume 4 originally was stated to last 6-8 months. I went with the 6 month variant for my timeline originally. That placed Weiss' age firmly in the 18 years old category. (18 and 3 months as of leaving Atlas.) Canon ages of the characters have now been officially updated and Weiss is considered 19 as of Volume 6, so that seriously screws up my timeline. (all of the snow in Anima on the train ride makes sense for it being winter again, so that I can reasonably consider the time skip making sense) 
> 
> I've gone and stretched Weiss' time at home clear out to 10 months because it was the easiest to tweak without changing major parts of my story.
> 
> The group couldn't have spent more than a month or so at the house after Yang and Weiss show up before being called by Lionheart and the battle of Haven happening, and it was 2 more weeks until they left on the train. So, that means I have a good 4 1/2 months to account for.)
> 
> Any RWBY timeline experts out there willing to give me a hand here on how to make things work a bit better? Character ages are something I like to make sure I keep consistent. (Basically I need to squeeze 4 more months out of Volume 5, and canon makes it seem like Weiss was only at Mistral for about 6 weeks.) I can make an assumption that Weiss turns 19 right in the 2 weeks between Volume 5 and Volume 6 to ease the burden. (that actually adds ideas for extra original chapters for me too)


	7. Familiar Hunting Grounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss' day just keeps getting worse. At least she is prepared this time...right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been waiting for this, and we have finally arrived. I've been planning to write this scene ever since the dock way back in Chapter 3 of the series. It was hard, but I'm getting better at writing combat and a few weeks ago I finally figured out a (hopefully) interesting scene for you all. Enjoy.
> 
> Quick note: I 'might' be taking a week off from posting. Real life has been busy for me and I've officially run out of chapters that were prewritten and ready to go. (There is a lot of stuff I am adding to Volume 5 so it is not a simple matter of tweaking canon a little bit here and there. While still following the major story points, this is where 'Canon divergence' really gets going.) I have the chapters planned out and partially written, but the timeline shift I'm having to deal with is changing a lot of things and I have to account for that. This all being said, I'm hoping to keep my chapter a week schedule, but if one isn't posted next week or the week after, you all know why. I'd rather have the chapters done properly, rather than rush them out subpar. (I did that with the Breach chapter and I'm still not 100% happy with that decision)

_'This is bad. This is bad. Crap crap crap!'_

As the water rapidly came up to meet her, Weiss quickly went over her options. Unlike during initiation, falling straight down stopped her from simply using her glyphs to redirect her momentum. Her first thought was to use her gravity dust like with the airship, but as she pulled the trigger, there was no familiar sensation of the dust channeling into her semblance and she bounced **hard** off of the very unexpectedly **solid** glyph that had appeared below her.

"Gah!"

Struggling for breath as the wind was knocked out of her, she tried to think of a secondary option.

_'Can't breathe...can't think...need air..air....Air Dust!'_

Rotating her sword to Air Dust, she pointed it at the water below and pulled the trigger. The whirlwind coming from the end of her sword caused the handle to kick back and hit her in the gut, knocking the wind from her a second time, but she managed to keep the stream going and slowing her decent to something manageable while she whimpered in pain and caught her breath again.

 _'Where is Jaune to catch me when I need him?'_ She wryly thought remembering his goofy attempt to be her charming hero back during initiation.

Watching the water getting closer, Weiss rotated her sword to Ice Dust and conjured a large ice spear, sending it toward the water. As the projectile hit the water, it caused large waves to spread out from the point of impact, disrupting the surface of the water, which was exactly what she wanted. Flipping around and holding Myrtenaster in both hands, Weiss twisted into her best dive and brought her aura up once again, sword leading point first. Still over seventy feet in the air, she braced herself for impact.

_'This is going to hurt.'_

Slamming through the surface of the water, Weiss cringed as she let the water slow her momentum and flipped herself upright. Taking in her surroundings, she rubbed the pain from her arms strained by the impact.

_'Ow. I'm going to be feeling that tomorrow.'_

Looking around, she saw fish scattering from her rapid entrance into the lake. It was actually a very peaceful view. The water was clear and warm and even though she never felt cold, she could appreciate the pleasant warmth the water provided, and just let herself float there for a moment and relax her nerves after her harrowing battle and subsequent drop from the sky. That lasted all of a minute before an unpleasant scent invaded her peace and her eyes snapped open. Twisting around in a circle to pinpoint where the smell came from, she grimaced as her long hair swirled in the water and ended up wrapped around her body.

Weiss would never admit it out loud, but she cared about her hair almost as much as Yang did hers. It was one of the few parts of the 'pretty heiress' look that she actually liked. Weiss' hair just wasn't a tangled mess every morning so she could afford to let it grow long, and she didn't care that it was to the point that if she didn't put it in her high ponytail, she would have to worry about walking on it. She never bothered to get it cut while she was at the manor. Right now though? Right now she was almost wishing she kept it as short as Ruby's.

Weiss quickly untangled the white strands from around her body.

_'Note to self: Braid hair...'_

She didn't have more time to focus on hair care though as she had much more pressing concerns in the form of a Grimm coming at her with red eyes and sharp teeth. It was almost deja vu, but at least this time she didn't have someone that was almost unconscious and couldn't breath underwater like she could to worry about. Even better, this time it was daylight out, clear water **and** she had her weapon.

Weiss grinned as she conjured a glyph behind her and used it to kick off and spear the Grimm with her sword. As it faded away into mist she looked around and thankfully didn't see any other threats. Plenty of fish were swimming around nearby, but no Grimm. She had to hurry, that was bound to change soon enough. Making her way to the surface, she spotted the crashed airship and dove back under the water, swimming toward the shore. She had to be careful. Her Aura was lower than she would have liked due to the battle with the Lancer and it took a nasty blow when she hit the water. It didn't matter how good her diving technique was. A several hundred foot drop was still a several hundred foot drop.

As she swam through the water, Weiss took in her surroundings and admired the scenery. There were fish swimming everywhere, and she would be lying if she said some of them didn't look fairly appetizing.  Unfortunately, she was not familiar with the species native to Anima, so catching anything to eat was out of the question. That was what canned rations were for anyway.  As she made her way toward the shore, she noticed several schools of fish nearby...but they were all heading in the opposite direction.

_'Oh, that can't be a good sign...'_

Stopping and drawing her sword, Weiss tried to spot what was causing all of the fish to flee. As the fish parted around her in their effort to escape, Weiss was suddenly face to face with a mouth full of teeth...a mouth much larger than herself. Conjuring a glyph and kicking off, she barely managed to barrel roll to the side to avoid being swallowed, but a fin still smacked into her shoulder, causing her to tumble end over end backwards.

Now upside down in the water, Weiss was able to get a look at what the hell had just hit her and was unpleasantly surprised at seeing the large, black smoky shape swinging around to make another charge at her.

_'A Grimm....shark?'_

As the Grimm came at her, she brought a glyph up under (above?) her feet and kicked off, flipping over and kicking off of a second glyph as the Grimm passed overhead, jabbing her sword into the soft underside. Unfortunately, even the soft underside was tougher than expected and her sword only penetrated mere inches, not strong enough to break through the tough skin. Now Weiss found herself drug along several yards until the Grimm quickly rolled, dislodging Myrtenaster and throwing Weiss into a dizzying spiral.

Shaking her head to clear it, she found herself in a constant joust with this giant Grimm shark, with it making constant passes, trying to swallow her while she used her glyphs to dodge and try and get any hit she could on it, but the skin was too thick and the bone plates to tough to break.

_'Need to find a weak spot...'_

Breathing hard from exertion, Weiss tried a new tactic. When the next pass came, instead of using a glyph to dodge, she rolled and grabbed onto the top fin of the Grimm, being tugged along. As the giant shark creature tried to shake her off, Weiss felt her aura strain to keep the sharp bone coating the fin from cutting into her fingers. Pulling forward and planting her feet firmly on the creature's back, she began stabbing into it for all she was worth, desperately hoping to find a weak point where her sword would punch through to something vital...or at least deep enough that she could freeze its insides with Ice Dust. Her arms were burning and she was breathing hard, but she kept stabbing anyway, gritting her teeth through the pain, even as she felt her grip slipping.

_'Come on! Break through dammit!'_

Despite her determination, her body just couldn't keep up under the constant strain, and her fingers slipped from the fin. As she slipped loose, she yelled out in pain as the large tail of the Grimm slapped against her back, sending her spinning in the water once again. Gritting her teeth and righting herself once more, she waited until the Grimm got close, conjuring a giant glyph between her and the creature. As the Grimm smashed into the glyph, it bounced off and shook its head. Making use of the precious few seconds the move awarded her, Weiss rotated Myrtenaster back to her Air Dust and pointed the sword behind herself. Tucking her arms in tight and holding her legs together, she squeezed the trigger and let the vortex of air propell her through the water.

Weiss had no idea which direction the nearest shore was at this point, but she took a guess and hoped that even if she couldn't get to shore, she could get away from the Grimm. She was flying through the water, twisting her body to steer herself. Even with her clear lids closed, the pressure of the water on her eyes forced her to squint her regular set to protect them. Far too soon though, the rest of her Air Dust ran out and she had no way to reload her sword underwater. Her arms and legs burned and she let herself take a moment to rest.

The odd fish here and there swam around her and she took a look around. She saw the smaller fish swimming around her, and off in the distance she noticed some much larger shapes. Luckily, they were not the black shapes of Grimm, but far too large to be regular fish.

_'Sharks...'_

Weiss counted at least ten of the large marine animals when the same dreaded smell she had endured for the last ten minutes invaded her notrils again. Whipping her head around, she spotted the giant black shape still pursuing her. A spike of fear ran through her.

_'I can't kill this...I can't get away...I'm going to die...'_

Shaking her head, Weiss grit her teeth in anger.

_'No! I haven't come this far to give up now! Think dammit!'_

Memories of previous conversations came to her mind.

_'The smell of blood makes me hungry.'_

_'Shark Faunus, Ruby.'_

_'I don't go into a feeding frenzy like a regular shark.'_

Looking back toward the group of sharks in the distance, Weiss enacted a crazy plan. Dropping her aura, she grit her teeth and wrapped her right hand around Myrtenaster's blade. A sharp jerk of the blade and a stifled cry later, blood was seeping from the wound. Weiss quickly waved her hand around herself, the red liquid dispersing through the water. Flaring her aura once more, the wound quickly healed, but it had accomplished it's goal and Weiss watched the school of sharks quickly heading her way. Conjuring a glyph once more, Weiss waited until the time was just right.

_'You get one chance at this Weiss. You mess up and you're dead. No pressure...'_

With the Grimm and the sharks both converging on her, the fish swimming around her didn't know where to go and began panicking. At the last possible moment, Weiss launched herself from her glyph as the two forces converged on the spot she had just been occupying. The sharks began biting at anything they could get their teeth on, including the giant Grimm that they thought was trying to steal their meal. Weiss watched the scene in morbid fascination. The smell of shredded and bleeding fish caught her nose and her stomach growled in response, wanting to join in, but while Weiss had no desire to actually join, the sensation was enough to bring her out of her daze, and she enacted the second part of her plan.

It wouldn't be enough to just distract the Grimm with the sharks, so rotating her sword to Ice Dust, Weiss once again conjured a large glyph, channeling every last speck she had left into the creation. The resulting ice spear was fifty foot long and twenty foot around at it's thickest end. As the Grimm opened it's mouth in an attempt to bite one of the sharks attacking it, Weiss sent the spear flying with all the power she could muster, sending the icy construct right down the Grimm's throat. The Grimm shark suddenly froze (no pun intended) and after twitching a few times as the sharks continued to bite and tear at it's skin, the entire beast began to dissolve into black smoke, dispersing into the surrounding water. The last thing Weiss saw of the beast was its dissolving heart impaled on a rapidly melting ice spear and she quickly swam away from the scene as the sharks began tearing into any remaining fish and occasionally a fellow injured shark.

Arriving at a safe distance from the massacre, Weiss looked back and gave a wave at her extremely distant cousins, even if they had no idea what it meant. It just felt wrong to not thank them.

_'I'm sorry for using you, but thank you for the help.'_

Arms and legs aching, Weiss just felt like floating there for the rest of the day, but she had to get to shore and see what became of the airship and pilot. He might need help, and she had taken much too long getting there. Once more conjuring a glyph, she struggled to summon the smaller fish Grimm that she had killed when she first landed in the lake. It would serve her purpose. The Grimm was barely half the size of the original, but it was big enough. Grabbing onto the fin on its back, Weiss ordered the summon to the surface. Upon getting her head into the air again, Weiss noticed that she had indeed been heading in the right direction and the crash site wasn't too far away. Sheathing her sword at her waist once more, she held on to the summon with both hands as it made its way to shore.

\-----

Once it could swim no closer, Weiss dismissed the summon and drug herself from the water up onto shore, wiping wet bangs from her forehead. She was exhausted, and sore all over.

_'I wish I was born a bird with wings instead of a shark. At least then I could have just flown to shore...'_

Dragging herself to her feet, she hobbled over toward the wrecked airship. She hoped the pilot would be ok, but when a familiar metallic scent once again hit her nostrils and her stomach growled in response, she didn't have much hope.

_'Shut up stomach! We both know what we are likely to see, and food is going to be the last thing on our minds...great, first I'm waving at sharks like they are close friends, now I'm talking to my organs. I hope I didn't get a concussion or something.'_

Shoving biological quirks aside, she made her way around the outside of the ship toward the cockpit. Climbing through the window, she saw the pilot with his head leaning against the controls, blood pooling on the floor at his feet. Weiss mentally braced herself and leaned down, tilting his head just enough to see his face. The sight made her gasp and let go. The pilot's visor was shattered and his face was...not well. Weiss didn't want to try and mentally catalog everything wrong, but in the simplest terms, his face was....broken. The fact that the sight didn't make her want to throw up had her wondering if she was still in shock, or if she was just becoming desensitized to death and gore. She wasn't sure which prospect worried her more.

Weiss noticed the door to the upper cargo hold was open and she worked her way through the scattered crates, looking for her bag. Noticing a shoulder strap peeking out from under a crate, she grimaced.

_'Great, everything is probably crushed and ruined.'_

Walking over to the mess, she was pleasantly surprised that the crate was merely leaning against the wall and not actually on top of her bag. She pulled the pack out and put her arms through the shoulder straps. Noticing a hole in the wall, she decided to make her way out the back instead of climbing back out the cockpit window. She would be seeing the pilot's face...or what was left of it...in her nightmares for a while as is. She thought about trying to bury him, but Grimm were sure to be attracted to the area soon, and she was in no condition to fight off anything.

Looking up and locating where the sun was, then looking at her watch, she tried to get herself oriented.

_'Ok, it's 3:45, so that places the sun in the west. Its summer, so the sun would be toward the north. That places me on the south side of the lake. That means I need to head east along the shore, and then keep going east once the shore turns north. Thank the gods I payed attention in wilderness survival class. Well, I better get walking before it starts getting dar-'_

While thinking about her direction of travel, she failed to notice the engine hit by the Queen Lancer was still sparking. That was until she noticed the Dust leak. Her eyes widened as she saw the sparks hit the Cyan Dust on the ground and she turned to run, making it three steps before the Dust ignited and the engine's explosion sent her flying. Instinct had her pulling up the last dredges of her Aura to protect her, and it was enough to keep her alive. However, it shattered when she slammed into a tree and upon hitting the ground she rolled back down the hill toward the wreck.

\-----

Weiss wasn't sure how long she was out, but she couldn't hear any fires burning, so at least the rest of the ship hadn't gone up too. As she struggled to get her eyes open, she heard footsteps coming closer. She forced her reluctant arm muscles to push herself up so she could see who was there. There were two men standing over her. They had red and black mismatched armor. One had a large knife and the other carried a rifle.

_'Huntsmen?'_

Weiss decided it didn't matter. She would take whatever she could get. "Help...please."

The two men looked at each other and one grinned while the other one spoke. "What do you think?"

The two of them looked over their shoulders when a female voice spoke out and the speaker stepped into view. She had long black hair and red eyes, dressed in much nicer looking red armor and wore a black skirt and shorts. For some reason Weiss couldn't quite put her finger on, the woman looked vaguely familiar. "I think...we just hit the Jackpot."

Weiss' eyes went wide when she realized who had **actually** stumbled upon her.

_'Bandits....no...'_

The last thing she saw was a black boot coming down at her face, then darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget that some of you wanted more underwater fight scenes to show off Weiss' water breathing and adaptability. By the way, to anyone planning on writing something like this: Underwater fight scenes are hard as hell to write. No slashing or bludgeoning weapons work because of water resistance, so you only have stabbing. It is hard to make quick direction changes because everything you do is just a bit slower, and water resistance in general just makes fight scenes hard. Luckily for me, Weiss is perfect for this environment. Glyphs give her a platform to kick off from, she has a stabbing weapon, and all of her dust except for Lightning and Gravity can be used. (Fire could have been used, but that would just be super hot steam and would obscure her vision, so she didn't use that.) Figuring out what kind of enemy to have her fight was actually the hardest part of this. I eventually settled on a Grimm shark as opposed to a school of Grimm fish. After that, the scene came together quite nicely.
> 
> On an unrelated note: I 'think' I've got my timeline problems sorted. As always, comments welcome and appreciated.


	8. It's Been a Hell of a Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captured by bandits, Weiss plans her escape while waiting for the right time to make her move, but it might be more difficult than she anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Why is this chapter taking so long to write?"  
> *Checks the word count and sees 8900 words.*  
> "Oh..."
> 
> So..yeah...that is why this is so late. Hope you all enjoy though.

When she finally came to, the first thing Weiss noticed was that it was dark out. The second, and more worrying thing she noticed was that her wrists were bound. Slowly sitting up, she took in her surroundings. First thing she noticed was the bars of the cage she was inside of. Next, were all of the rough looking tents and the wooden wall surrounding the area. As her mind processed that information, she looked out and saw the two men that had come upon her at the airship. She gasped when she remembered what happened.

_'Bandits... I must be in a bandit camp.'_

One of the bandits noticed her sitting up looking at them and grinned while the other one took a drink out of a bottle. The smell wasn't very strong, but Weiss definitely picked up the scent of cheap wine coming from that direction. "Well, well, well, look who's awake."

Feigning ignorance and confusion, Weiss looked around, trying to get whatever information she could to aid her in a possible escape. She didn't have a lot to work with.

_'My bag and pouches are missing, so no dust. Myrtenaster is missing, so no fighting with that. Aura....still too weak, so no summoning anything big enough to defend myself properly with. I can't see much of the camp, but it is pretty big, so there is probably a lot of bandits here. I'll have to bide my time for now. Maybe I can get some information out of these guys.'_

"Wha... what's going on? Where am I?"

A new voice sounded from a nearby tent. "Ya know...I never thought I'd see a Schnee in this camp."

Weiss watched as the new person walked up to her cage. The patchwork pants and brown vest seemed consistent with the other bandits she saw, along with the short cut hair. When the other bandits quickly got to their feet and stood at something resembling attention, one of them nervously calling the woman Vernal, told Weiss this was a high ranking member. Vernal's sharp, calculating blue eyes...and the fact she was holding Myrtenaster added to that assumption. Her smirk irritated Weiss to no end.

_'That is the same look Jacques always gave when he made me do something I hated. I hate that look.'_

Her anger spiked when Vernal looked down and ran her hands over Myrtenaster. Weiss narrowed her eyes and stood up while staring at her blade.

_'That is my sword. No dirty bandit gets to mess with my weapon.'_

Looking up at Vernal, she gave the bandit her iciest glare. Her tone matched. "What do you want?"

Vernal smiled at her. "Straight to the point. I like it." Her face took on a bored expression, like Weiss wasn't really worth her time. "We don't normally deal in trafficking people. Not really worth our time."

Vernal started swinging Myrtenaster around, using it to point at Weiss. "But once we realized we had a Schnee..."

Weiss stared at the sword pointing at her. She had never had Myrtenaster pointed back at her before. She decided she didn't like it very much.

"...that changed."

Taking her eyes from the blade, she looked back up at the bandit's face. "You're going to ransom me back to Jacques, is that it?"

_'He won't pay you to get me back. If anything, this just gives him a way to get rid of me that won't make him look bad. He could even use my death as a way to get some sympathy and good PR.'_

Vernal blinked for a moment in confusion, then smirked.

"Jacques, huh? Not father, or daddy? You always struck me as a daddy's girl, but maybe I was wrong."

_'Oh, you have no idea lady. You have no idea...'_

Vernal grinned while gesturing around the camp, not that Weiss could see much of it with tents blocking her view of the area.

"It's a shame you're a Schnee. You'd probably do quite well around here."

Weiss stepped closer to the bars. She wasn't' going to show fear to these ruffians. "I would never sink to your level."

That remark looked like it didn't sit well with Vernal.

_'Did she actually think I would have been interested in joining them?'_

"Just keep quiet and cooperate and you'll be back in your mansion before you know it."

Weiss didn't show it, but she was panicking slightly. That was absolutely the **last** thing she wanted.

Vernal turned to walk away, but looked over her shoulder. "Don't make this complicated."

_'Think Weiss. You can't get sent back to Atlas. Even if Jacques won't pay to get you back, someone else is bound to pay the ransom so they can get a favor from him. You'll never escape again. I need to find a way to get them to let me go. Wait! Winter is in Mistral! Bandits will never go up against the Atlesian military. That is a threat they can't ignore.'_

"What's going to make this complicated is when my sister finds out that I didn't make it to Mistral."

Vernal stopped walking away. Weiss let a little smugness creep into her voice. That would help sell the bluff.

"You know my sister, don't you? Winter Schnee? Special Operative of the Atlas Military? She's in Mistral now, and when she hears I'm missing, it won't take her long to find me."

_'Sell it Weiss. Make them fear keeping you here.'_

Weiss let a little bit of that sinister tone she used on Jacques slip into her voice to really sell the threat. "And you."

Strangely...and worryingly enough, the bandits did not respond the way she expected. They were...laughing.

Weiss was quite annoyed at that reaction. "What's so funny?"

Vernal turned around while laughing herself. "Oh, I don't know if it's more funny or sad, but you're clearly out of the loop."

As Weiss stared down Vernal, the bandit gave her a smug look. "Your sister isn't in Mistral anymore. No Atlas personnel are in Mistral anymore."

Weiss got wide eyed for a moment and she looked at the ground, her mind racing to try and process that information.

_'Winter isn't here anymore? No...one is here anymore?'_

"General Ironwood closed the borders and recalled all of his troops and tin cans"

Vernal came right up to the bars and leaned down to stare Weiss in the eyes. Her voice promised the same thing her words did. " **No** one is coming to rescue you."

As Vernal walked away her guards continued laughing. Weiss sat back down on the dirty ground and lowered her eyes, her hope of rescue practically gone.

_'How could everyone be gone already? Ironwood hadn't even announced he was closing the...borders...yet...'_

Weiss grimiced.

_'Dammit! Of course! The CCT is down. He would have began recalling troops long before he would announce closing the borders.'_

Folding her hands together to steady herself as she felt them start shaking, Weiss took a deep breath and cleared her mind.

_'I'm on my own...'_

That thought alone terrified her, but she had to keep herself together and come up with a plan. She didn't know how long it would take the bandits to get a ransom to Jacques, but if the borders were closing soon, it is unlikely the demands would ever reach his ears, and if they did, he might not even respond. Weiss didn't have forever. Once the bandits figured out they wouldn't get money from Jacques, they might kill her...or worse, sell her off to someone else that had a grudge against her family. It was up to her to save herself.

\-----

It was a few hours later when her guards passed out from drinking or exhaustion. It didn't matter because it gave her an idea. Quickly turning herself to hide her actions, she held her bound hands up and watched the small glyph form above them, the blue glow illuminating her face. The knight rose from the glyph. Only standing a foot tall, it nonetheless stood ready to fearlessly face whatever it's master commanded of it. Looking at her only weapon, Weiss' eyes focused on the great-sword the knight held, then past to the bars of her cage.

_'That is my way out.'_

The constant snores of her guards was interrupted by a snort of someone waking up. Weiss quickly closed her hands, dismissing the summon and snuffing out the light. Glancing behind her, she saw one of her guards wake up and nudge his partner. As both bandits started getting up, two others walked around the curtain separating her cage from the camp.

"Hey! You two aren't sleeping on the job now, are ya?"

Her guards that were just sleeping not a minute earlier looked at the newcomers. "Phft. Of course not. Not like she's going anywhere even if we were."

Her new guards looked over at her cage, catching her looking at them. "You should get some sleep princess. We don't sleep in around here and if you want food you better be awake when we bring it to you."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the newcomer. "I'm not a princess. I'm a huntress."

The bandit snorted in disdain, then looked at her guards and hooked her thumb over her shoulder. "Go get some sleep you two. We'll take over from here."

The previously sleeping guards stretched and one of them yawned while walking away. "It's about time."

Weiss had a plan, but it looked like it would have to wait. She'd have to bide her time.

_'Better conserve all the strength I can.'_

Deciding to actually take the bandit's advice, Weiss moved over to the far corner of the cage where it was darkest and curled up to get as comfortable as she could. She might be here for awhile.

\-----

The next morning Weiss opened her eyes to blinding sunlight. Grimacing at the burning, she covered them with her arms. That was when she noticed she was laying in the dirt and her wrists were bound and memories of her situation came back to her. Slowly moving her arm while her eyes quickly adjusted to the change, she blinked at her surroundings. The view was much the same as it had been the night before. The only difference was the guards were still awake and attentive. They were also eating. She could smell the cooked meat from somewhere in the camp and saw her guards chewing on something that smelled the same.

Weiss' stomach growled at her, this time having nothing to do with the smell of blood. She realized she just hadn't eaten in nearly a day and a half. Her mouth was watering at the smell, but she kept her reaction hidden as the guards noticed her looking at them. The female of the two guards smirked at her. "Smells good, don't it?"

Weiss kept her face impassive, not wanting her captors to see how hungry she was, but once again, her stomach betrayed her and painfully growled again. Weiss winced at the pain. Aura enhanced muscles still required more energy than normal. That meant that even if she was a very healthy eater, Weiss still required more food than a typical person when she exerted herself, and she had exerted herself **heavily** the day before.

_'I have gone far too long without eating...'_

Weiss glared at the bandit when she laughed. "Ah, is the princess hungry? Gone too long without a fancy meal?"

When Weiss didn't dignify her with a response and just kept glaring, the bandit rolled her eyes and tossed a can of something into the cage. "Eat up Schnee. Can't have you dying before we get our money from your da."

Weiss slowly rose to her feet on stiff legs and moved over to the can, recognizing it as one of the MREs she had stored in her bag.

_'Not like I expected them to give me any of their good food. I planned on eating these anyway. At least they aren't giving me scraps as a sick joke or something.'_

Weiss popped the lid on the can and set it down, sitting while holding it between her feet and, using an old trick Winter taught her, folded the lid into a makeshift spoon/shovel. Struggling a little to get used to the action with her wrists bound, she nearly spilled the contents before managing to scoop some of the awful tasting meat-like substance out of the can and putting it into her mouth, taking care not to cut her mouth on the sharp edged metal.

Like she assumed, the canned meat tasted awful, but not as bad as she remembered back when she ate gourmet meals everyday. Being used to Beacon's food helped, as it had been good, but nothing compared to what her family ate.

_'Of course, this stuff is meant to be heated, so it would probably taste better, but I doubt they are going to let me anywhere near a fire.'_

Keeping her face impassive as her guards watched her, she ate. She couldn't lie nearly good enough to pretend the food tasted good, but she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cringe at the taste. Weiss got a sick sense of pleasure watching them frown at her lack of reaction. The male guard spoke up for the first time Weiss had heard. "Damn. Schnees are harder than I thought. Stone cold."

The other guard looked at him. "It's just cold meat."

He snorted. "You ever eat that stuff? It's nasty warm, and princess there is eating it cold. She might be some pampered kid, but respect where it's due."

The female guard rolled her eyes. "If you got such respect for her, she can have your water."

The male guard glared at his fellow and stood up, tossing a canteen into the cage. "That is all you get today, so don't waste it."

Weiss leaned over and picked up the canteen, giving it a quick shake. She was pleasantly surprised to find it was full. Lessons from wilderness survival class reminded her to keep her consumption small and equally spaced out. The bandits would feed her enough to keep her alive and somewhat healthy, but she was going to get weaker the longer she was stuck here, so every day was going to count in her escape plan. She simply nodded in acknowledgement of his instruction and opened the cap. After taking a sniff to make sure there was nothing obviously wrong with the water, she took a quick drink and replaced the cap, setting it down to eat the rest of her awful meal.

The rest of the day was spent in thought. Weiss had no inclination to speak with the guards, and they were content to play cards while occasionally glancing over at her. Weiss sat in her cage, occasionally taking time to do stretches to keep herself limber. She wouldn't be able to exercise to keep herself fit, but she could do a few things to limit the damage. She caught the male guard looking at her occasionally while she stretched, but she made a point to ignore him while the female guard smacked him for staring. It was the evening after her second meal of the day that she ran into another problem: She had to use the restroom.

_'Are they going to make me wet myself, or am I going to have to dig a place to go to the bathroom here in my cage?'_

Weiss found herself fidgeting and seriously contemplating digging a hole in the ground in the far edge of the cage when Vernal returned with her new set of guards, this time two female ones. She still carried Myrtenaster like a trophy. Vernal smirked at her, obviously noticing her fidgeting. "Does the pampered little heiress need to use the potty?"

Weiss just glared at her and Vernal rolled her eyes. "Lucky for you, Raven doesn't like the camp to smell like a latrine, so we are going to take you outside to go." She narrowed her eyes at Weiss. "Even **think** about trying to escape, and I'll drop you where you stand, got it?"

Weiss held her glare, but gave a sharp nod and stood up. Vernal pulled her weapon from her belt, some kind of pistol with blades curving out of the top and bottom, and motioned for one of the guards to open the cage. She did so and Weiss stepped out. One of the guards led the way through the camp while Vernal and the other guard followed behind her. When they cam around the separator, Weiss finally got a good look at the camp.

Sharpened logs stood tall around the perimeter with tents all along the walls. There was a large fire pit in the center and looking back, Weiss saw that her cage was right next to the main tent, probably belonging to Raven and Vernal.

_'Not good. Even if the guards leave me alone, the sound of my knight cutting the bars will be heard in the main tent. I need to think of a backup plan.'_

Weiss knew the camp was large, but there was easily twice the amount of bandits that she anticipated. Vernal spoke up from behind her. The smugness in her voice annoyed Weiss. "Pretty nice setup, huh? You aren't getting out of here, so you might as well get comfortable and hope daddy pays up."

Following her escort out the gate, they brought her close to the treeline where a hole had been dug in the ground. Based on how the camp looked so permanent, she honestly expected something that had just a 'bit' of privacy.

_'This has got to be a joke at my expense.'_

"Hurry up Schnee. We ain't got all night."

Weiss looked back at Vernal with her eyes narrowed. She didn't trust her voice at the moment. Vernal just rolled her eyes again. "Just be happy that it's just us girls out here. Don't want the 'merchandise getting damaged' by one of the lonely guys."

Weiss remembered the look her guard was giving her earlier and decided to simply comply.

_'Ok, now she is scaring me...'_

She had more information now and she needed to take that into account in her escape plan.

Doing her business quickly (she was starting to regret the decision to wear pants instead of a skirt now that she had to pull them on and off with her wrists bound), she let the guards lead her back to her cage, committing everything she saw to memory.

As she sat in the dark corner that night, she went over everything she saw and how the routine of the camp worked.

_'I'm given food twice a day. One full canteen of water to last the day. No place to hide anything, so I can't stockpile supplies. Restroom once a day. They take the food cans when I'm gone, so I can't do anything to make a weapon or tools. Guards change every 12 hours. Maybe I can find a routine over the next few days....'_

Weiss laid down and slept that night in the dirt, not liking her chances of getting out of her predicament easily.

\-----

The week proceeded as she expected. Everyday was the same, but this was a bandit camp and not a military installation. There was no rhyme or reason to what guards she had watching her. The only consistent thing was when she was given food, and that Vernal and two female guards took her to...do her business....out in the trees. She kept up her daily stretches, but even after just a week, she could already feel her muscles start losing the strength she had built up with her training. It was on the seventh day she was in the camp that something finally changed in the routine.

After her nightly trip to the trees, instead of going straight back to the camp, her escort led her to a small pond. Weiss had a glimmer of hope pop into her mind.

_'They don't know I can breath underwater. I could swim down to the bottom and they will never find me. Eventually they will think I drowned myself and when they leave, I can escape.'_

Mentally judging the distance to the water's edge, Weiss prepared herself to make a break for it. The group kept walking toward the water though, so Weiss took a chance and waited. The closer they got, the less chance she could be stopped before she got away. As they got up to the edge, Weiss felt a hand suddenly grab the back of her coat. "Bath time Schnee. You smell."

With that declaration, Weiss found herself being thrown into the water. If she wasn't so surprised by the action, she might have laughed.

_'They are giving me exactly what I want.'_

Weiss let herself fall under the water, prepared to swim to the bottom and wait out her captors. The bottom proved to show up much sooner than she expected though and she felt herself hit dirt almost immediately. Standing up quickly, she found the water in the small pond only went up to her waist. Her hopes dropped like the water running off of her chin. Vernal's voice came from the shore. "You got five minutes. Get the dirt washed off and get out. You try and get away, I shoot you." Resigned to her fate for the time being, Weiss leaned back and got as much of the dirt out of her hair and clothes as she could, taking care to not give away her ability to breath water.

After what felt like much less than five minutes, Vernal was ordering her out. Although she was never cold, she was happy that Anima's nights were still somewhat warm and that her clothing choice was so appropriate to swimming. By the time they returned to the camp, her clothes were dry even if her hair was going to take longer. She'd have to stay up for awhile tonight while it dried if she didn't want mud in her hair in the morning.

_'Not that it actually matters...'_

After another hour of trying to figure out a way to escape, Weiss finally decided to call it a night. Making use of a trick she had learned over the course of the week, she rolled her long ponytail into a loose bundle to use as a pillow for the night. It wasn't like it wasn't going to get dirty anyway...

\-----

Roughly the next three weeks proved to be much the same. Unpredictable patterns to who her guards were, loss of muscle mass from her light diet and lack of exercise, weekly baths in a pond, and sleeping on the ground. There were a few changes though. After the first week, the MREs in her pack ran out and the bandits had to start feeding her regular food. The second thing to happen was grumbling from some of the bandits. Those two may have been related. During the third week she was in captivity, Weiss overheard some of them complaining to each other about how it was taking too long for Jacques to reply to the ransom. There had been some grumblings about selling Weiss off to the black market in Mistral, but those were quickly put down by Vernal. That wouldn't last forever, and Weiss knew it.

_'I'm running out of time...'_

\-----

  
It was after nearly a month in captivity that Weiss finally got her chance.

Early evening had just rolled around and Weiss was simply sitting and waiting for the mind numbing repetition of her days. She had nearly given up on a chance of escape. When she was feeling particularly depressed, she figured she was just waiting to be killed or sold off. It was only a matter of time before they gave up on her and cut their losses. Her mind had almost shut down in her depression. She had not spoken more than ten words to her captors since the first night. She was daydreaming half the time these days. Anytime she was let out of her cage she was on autopilot. At least in the mansion she had places to go. This was worse than the mansion. Right at the moment, she was watching the laziest of her guards playing poker on a crate.

_'His eye is twitching. He's bluffing. I bet he doesn't have better than a pair of fives in his hand...'_

Weiss had learned some of the guards tells when she thought it might give her an advantage, but all it had done is let her predict who was going to win the hand of cards. As she gazed hazily at them, a new, unfamiliar sound came to her ears.

_'Yelling? Some kind of fight?'_

The guards noticed the noise and dropped their cards, running to see what was happening.

_'Huh...that's different...sounds like everyone is distracted...'_

Something in the back of her mind tried to come to the forefront as she stared at the empty, guard-less space.

_'Distracted....they all went out there...'_

**_'...out...'_ **

_'I wonder where they went?'_

_' **Get....out...'**_

_'Where are the guards that let me out?'_

**_'Guards...gone. Get....out.'_ **

_'Guards...gone?'_

**_'Guards gone! Get Out!'_ **

Weiss blinked as her mind suddenly went into overdrive. Her plans for escape rushing back to her. This was her chance!

Shaking her head to clear the haze of apathy and quickly turning around, she took a deep breath and opened her hands, letting the familiar figure rise from the glyph. Her knight raised his sword and leapt from her hands and turned to look at her, ready for her command. She nodded and the summon turned and began swinging at the bars, the sword chipping away at the metal and the quiet clang sounded through her cage, overshadowed by whatever was going on out of sight.

_'Once I'm out of the cage, grow the knight to human size and it can lift me over the wall, then summon a Beowulf to carry me away. I'll have to leave Myrtenaster behind. I'll never be able to get it back and still escape. I'll just have to cut my losses and hope for the best. I can use glyphs to catch fish for food from the lake once I've escaped. That should be enough to keep me alive until I can get to Mistral.'_

Moving over to the bars to keep lookout while her summon did it's job, Weiss made out muffled voices, but she couldn't understand what was being said. Suddenly something crashed into the tent in front of her cage and collapsed the structure, giving her a clear view of the camp. For a moment, Weiss thought she was having a hallucination as she saw a head of bright blonde hair and she narrowed her eyes before they widened as her brain realized that what she saw was real.

"Yang?"

_'Where did she come from? Why is she here?'_

As those familiar lilac eyes turned to her, they went wide like her's. "Weiss?"

Seeing the body tangled in the tent in front of her, and knowing Yang was the cause of that, Weiss already knew what was going to happen next. So much for sneaking out. Time for the plan B that had not been an option until just now: Fight her way out.

"Alright, well, subtlety is out."

Turning and kneeling down, she grinned at her knight and the construct used it's sword to cut the rope binding her wrists before it knelt as a glyph formed on the ground under it. Weiss pushed her aura into the summon. The construct grew to gigantic proportions, shattering her cage. Her latest guard looked up and seeing her knight, turned and ran in a panic. Weiss quickly ran out and got back to back with Yang, her knight standing next to her watching for any threat to its mistress. Yang had her fists up, ready to fight. "What is that?"

Weiss didn't look at her friend and team mate, watching for the first bandit that had the courage to come at them while her Aura worked to fix the damage in her wrists from being bound for the last month.

"Don't worry about it."

_'Did she somehow find out where I was? Who would have told her?'_

Seeing no one ready to come at her, she turned her head to Yang. "What are you doing here?"

Yang nodded toward the bandit leader. "Well, that's my mom and she can take us to Ruby."

They both looked over at Raven, who gave them a bored look like she was inconvenienced. "Ugh."

Weiss' brain nearly locked up.

_'Y...Yang's....mom? Yang's MOM!?'_

Looking at Yang, she couldn't keep the sheer disbelief out of her voice. "Your mom kidnapped me?!"

Yang looked at her in confusion for a moment before her eyes went wide and she looked back at Raven. "You kidnapped her?!"

At that point the grumbling from the crowd started getting louder as they realized that after a month of dealing with Weiss, they might lose their prisoner. Yang, Weiss, and her knight all tensed for combat as the crowd started moving. They ran forward to meet the bandits and out of the clear sky a bolt of lightning struck the ground between the two groups, bringing everyone to a halt.

"Enough!"

Turning around Weiss and Yang saw Vernal lowering her hand, Myrtenaster held in the other. Weiss' eyes locked onto her weapon, then up to Raven as the bandit leader began talking. "Thank you."

Raven turned away from Vernal to address the rest of the camp. "If you people don't keep it together this place will be crawling with Grimm."

Weiss' eyes were drawn back to Myrtenaster as the bandit leader reprimanded her tribe. Raven apparently noticed and looked back at Vernal. "Give the girl her weapon back."

Weiss got a feeling of vindication as Vernal looked at Raven in disbelief. Raven nodded to her and Vernal unhappily tossed the sword to Weiss, who caught it by the handle and quickly ran her eyes over the blade, making sure the bandit hadn't done anything to damage it.

_'Hello. I missed you, and I don't care how much that makes me sound like Ruby talking to Crescent Rose.'_

Raven's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she and Yang both gave the woman defiant looks. "You two. In my tent. Now."

Yang glared at her mom. "Why?"

Raven looked thoughtful for a moment. "If you're really going after your sister, then you need to know the truth."

As Raven walked back into the tent and the rest of the bandits went back to their duties, Weiss put a hand to her chest as the excitement finally ended.

_'It's over. I'm safe. Yang...you saved me...'_

Yang sounded a little embarrassed as she started turning toward her, but Weiss only had one thing she wanted to do at that moment. "Sorry about-"

Yang was cut off as Weiss dropped her sword and lunged at her friend, throwing her arms around Yang's neck and holding on for all she was worth.

_'She's here! My friend is here! She's ok! I'm ok!'_

Barely keeping herself from outright crying Weiss finally let her all of her feelings out. "I missed you so much."

She heard the smile in Yang's voice as she felt the metal hand touch the back of her head, pulling her in close and holding her tight. "I missed you too."

As the two friends stood there hugging, Weiss felt safe for the first time in...she wasn't sure how long. She released her control and felt the summon fade away.

Eventually, Yang spoke up. "If we want to find Ruby, we better get in there before she changes her mind."

Weiss stiffened in Yang's arms.

_'Ruby....I'm going to see Ruby again...'_

Yang noticed her team mate stiffen and Weiss could hear the worry in her voice. "Weiss? You ok?"

Weiss slowly pulled away from Yang as she fought down her emotions. "Yes, I'm fine. Just...a little shaken. I'll be ok."

_'I've wanted to talk to Ruby for so long...but...I don't know if I'm ready for that yet... Ok, Weiss. One step at a time. Get there first. Worry about the talk later.'_

Putting a determined look on her face, she looked her team mate in the eye and nodded. "Let's go."

Yang nodded and led the way into the tent. Raven was sitting on some pillows in front of a short table. She gestured to the pillows on the side opposite to her. "Have a seat."

Yang glared at her mother as she sat down and crossed her arms. Weiss tucked her legs under herself as she sat on the cushion. As far as she was concerned, it could be a plank of wood. It was still leagues more comfortable than the hard ground she had spent the month sleeping on. Vernal came by and poured tea for the three of them and then left when Raven told her to wait outside.

Weiss decided that she would let Yang take the lead in this conversation. The blonde obviously had a plan of some kind, which was something Weiss lacked at the moment.

_'That is a thought I never expected to have...'_

Said blonde didn't look very happy. "So, what's the 'truth'?"

Raven calmly took a drink of her tea and looked at Yang. "You know, it's better when it's hot."

_'Really? She is going to make wait after all of that? She and Jacques would get along real well.'_

Weiss was more than a little annoyed at that. She was getting real tired of power moves. The sass in her voice was as plain as the sass on her face. "You know, you're really obnoxious."

Raven glanced at her for a moment like the retort didn't even phase her, then looked back at Yang. "The truth is that 'truth' is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else."

Setting down her cup, Raven continued. "By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories."

Weiss looked over to see Yang shake her head. "Well, he's never given me a reason to doubt him before."

Raven retorted. "That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist."

Weiss recognized the tactic. _'Basic method of instilling doubt. Make them think your allies are hiding something.'_

Weiss then remembered the look on Qrow's face during the fall. He **did** know something. That didn't mean he didn't tell anyone though. She wasn't there when Ruby woke up.

Yang merely narrowed her eyes at Raven. The bandit leader continued. "You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsman academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place."

Weiss took that as a compliment, even though she was pretty sure Raven didn't mean it as one.

Raven's tone was even more condescending than she expected. "It's adorable."

Weiss resisted rolling her eyes.

_'There it is. The backhanded compliment...'_

Yang had a simpler response. "It's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do."

Raven looked less than impressed. "Not all of them. Some people are just in it for the money and the fame,-"

_'Well, that is pretty common for any job. Not everyone has the morals and ideology to give that commitment. That is why the teachers try so hard to make sure the lesson is not forgotten.'_

"-but there's even more that are just looking to grow stronger."

_'I don't know about that. There are a few that I think fit that description. Team CRDL are probably like that, but most of the teams are there for the right reason.'_

Raven continued her lecture. "Your Uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen...we did it to learn how to **kill** Huntsmen."

Both girls gasped and looked at each other. Weiss wasn't sure what to think of that.

_'Qrow was a bandit that was training to...kill Huntsmen? Why did he change his stance?'_

Raven's smug voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Daddy and Uncle left that part out, hm?"

The leader poured herself another cup of tea as she explained. "Besides the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only one capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counter-force, and Qrow and I were the perfect age."

Rising to her feet, Raven continued. "The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We were good. So good, we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping an eye on us."

"Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ that he was interested in."

Weiss remembered Ruby mentioning that once. Her father and uncle, along with both her and Yang's moms were on a team together.

_'Why would Ozpin be interested in their team?'_

Yang seemed to have the same question. "What do you mean by that?"

Raven turned her back to them, seemingly unconcerned. "Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should've."

Looking over her shoulder at them, she grinned. "Sound familiar?"

The two girls eyes met and Yang gave her a questioning glance. Weiss gestured back toward Raven. _'This is your show Yang.'_

Yang looked back at the bandit chief. "What's your point?"

Raven finally turned fully back to them. "How much do you know about Professor Ozpin...about his past?"

Weiss had spent a lot of time studying the different academies before she settled on Vale for her education. Part of that decision was based on how famous of a Huntsman Professor Ozpin was. Weiss wanted to be the best, so she chose to train under the best.

"He was...a prodigy. One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school."

Raven nodded at that and Weiss felt like she was back in class again. Then again, she was learning things. She just didn't like the teacher. "Because that's how he planned it. because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else."

Yang was the first to voice Weiss' thoughts. "That doesn't make sense! How could...no... **why** would someone even do that?"

Raven focused directly on Yang. "Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to our team, and once I knew, there was no going back."

Raven sounded...tired?...afraid? "I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became."

Yang, ever the pragmatic one, went at things head on. "Ok, then tell us. What's the big secret? What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?"

Now Raven definitely **did** look tired. "The Grimm, have a master named Salem. She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until humanity crumbles at her feet."

Weiss said the only thing she could to a declaration like that. "What?"

Raven just glanced at them. "You know, neither of you have touched your tea."

_'This is crazy. The Grimm having a master? There is no way.'_

Yang stood up and spread her arms out in question. "Why should we believe any of this?"

Raven...smiled?...at that. "Now you're catching on. So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you, but you need to question everything....Otherwise you'll end up as blind as Qrow..."

Weiss could feel something shift in the air and looked at Yang's expression turning angrier. Weiss had to commend her on her ability to keep her anger in check, but she could tell Yang was reaching her limit.

Then Raven pushed her over it. "...and your fool of a father."

Weiss started to reach out to calm her teammate, but yanked her hand back when Yang's eyes went red and she flipped the table in anger, spilling the contents all over the floor. She had to take a breath to calm herself as memories of Jacques screaming during her youth came rushing to her mind. She shoved those thoughts away quickly, but still eyed her friend with caution as the blonde yelled. "Don't you **dare** talk about my family like that!"

The click of a weapon had them both looking back toward the door and saw Vernal pointing a gun at Yang. Her voice was calm and threatening. "You need to calm down."

As much as Weiss hated to admit it, the bandit was right. They weren't going to get what they needed if Yang was in a rage. She needed to get her friend to calm down, so she took the brawler's hand in her own and looked up with pleading eyes. "Yang, please."

Raven apparently decided to aggravate her some more instead. Weiss didn't appreciate the tone either. "Listen to your friend, Yang. Your teammates never let you down before."

_'That bitch just has to keep twisting the knife, doesn't she? I know I should have fought harder to stay, and Blake ran off, but now she is just rubbing salt in the wound. This is **not** what Yang needs right now.'_

Yang apparently was in agreement. "You don't know the first thing about my teammates! About me! You were never there! You left us!"

At that, Yang's rage just...died. She sounded so tired to Weiss. "Why?"

_'Why indeed Yang. Why do our parents leave us? Your mother is a bandit and a murderer, and mine is an alcoholic that gave up on everything and became a shell of her former self.'_

Raven apparently decided a straight answer wasn't what she wanted to give. "I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I've been told, but things I've seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead, I know magic is real, and I can prove it."

_'Magic? Coming back from the dead? That is crazy.'_

"That doesn't answer her question."

Raven didn't even acknowledge her. Weiss stood up, slightly annoyed at being ignored, but it didn't seem like they were getting the answers to that particular question today. The bandit was focused fully on Yang. "You said Tai told you all about my Semblance."

Walking to the back of the tent, she opened the flap and walked out. "Well, I doubt he ever told you what Oz did to my brother and me."

As the friends looked at each other in confusion, Vernal spoke up before leaving out the other side of the tent. "Go see for yourself."

The two girls ran out the back of the tent and down the stairs, but Raven was no where to be seen. Yang sounded confused. "Mom?"

As Yang looked around frowning, Weiss could feel the tension rolling off of her.

_'This has to be hard for her. Yang never talked about her mother before, and now she is meeting her.'_

"Yang? Are you ok?"

Yang glanced at her as she looked around. "I'll be fine once we can get her to take us to Ruby."

Weiss decided she needed to push, just a little bit, just to let Yang know she had her support. "It's ok if...you're not ok."

_'Come on Yang, you can talk to me.'_

Yang suddenly sounded as uncertain as Weiss felt about everything. "You didn't believe what she said, right?"

Weiss wasn't sure what she believed right now. She was still trying to process all she heard. It all sounded so crazy. "I...of course not.." She stopped herself. Some of what she said would explain a lot of the strange things that happened back at Beacon, but...

"...well, not all of it. It was crazy. We have Dust, and Semblances...things tied to our souls and science but, I mean, **actual** magic isn't real. It's just things in story books."

The sound of a bird screeching caught there attention and they looked up to see a black bird with red eyes flying by. It wasn't a small nevermore though despite the red eyes. It looked more like... "A raven?"

Yang spoke up, sounding suspicious, like she was remembering something. "I've...seen that bird before."

"Maybe it belongs to your mom?"

_'If it did, then it would follow her around if she had been keeping an eye on Yang. Maybe that is why Yang saw it before, if she was being watched.'_

The bird flew around in a circle a few times, but then arced through the trees and both girls watched as the form...almost instantly...transformed into the woman Raven and she landed on in a crouch, standing up to look at them with a smug expression on her face. One moment Weiss was looking at a strange bird, and literally in the blink of her eyes, there was the bandit leader standing in front of them.

Yang's voice sounded...almost afraid. "How...did you do that?"

Weiss glanced at Yang. _'That wasn't her semblance?'_

Raven looked at them as she gripped her sword. "Well, I could explain it to you..."

The woman drew the red blade of her sword in a flash and slashed at the air, a red and black pulsing portal opening behind her. "...or you could ask your uncle."

_'She is just going to...let us leave?'_

Yang had much the same reaction. "You're letting us go?"

Raven turned back to them, putting her sword away. "I'm giving you a choice. Stay here with me and I'll answer all of your questions and more. We can have a fresh start."

Weiss could hear Yang's teeth grinding as Raven spoke again, stepping to the side and gesturing toward the portal. "Or, you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem, and meet the same fate as so many others."

Raven got that 'high and mighty' look on her face that Weiss had seen so often before in Atlas and she frowned, but Raven wasn't looking at her. "But can you really go back to trusting someone that's kept so much from you?"

Weiss wasn't sure what to do. What if Yang decided to stay? Weiss certainly had enough of this place, and had no desire to stay even a moment longer.

_'I want to get back to Ruby and the others...but...I can't just leave Yang here alone either.'_

Luckily, Yang made the decision much easier. "All I care about is making sure my sister is safe."

Raven frowned, but then scoffed at the reply.

\-----

A few minutes later, Yang was walking her motorcycle toward the back of the camp while Weiss found her backpack and belt pouches, examining the contents. She looked up in annoyance at Raven as she put her arms through the shoulder straps and climbed on the back of the bike behind Yang. "At least you left me my clothes. Figured you would have sold those off like everything else you took."

Raven scoffed again. "No one is going to pay for something with a giant snowflake on the back of it and a set of workout clothes that are too small for any of the tribe. Just be happy we left you anything."

_'Damn bandits took my Dust and my money **and** my medical supplies. At least they reloaded my sword since they thought they'd get to keep it, so I'm not **completely** without Dust.'_

As the bike approached the portal, Raven called out and Yang stopped to look at her mother. "Yang. If you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet."

Weiss rolled her eyes at Raven's 'kindness' and looked back toward the portal, ready to be out of this horrible place and see her friends again. Yang just gave her mother a glare. "You weren't kind this time either."

Yang revved the bike and sped through the portal. Weiss' stomach did a flip when the strange sensation of what was basically teleportation washed over her. Blinking her eyes, she watched over Yang's shoulder as they exited onto a platform overlooking a beautiful skyline. That picture was disrupted by a confused looking Qrow staring at them. He blinked. "Oh..."

Weiss instinctively wrinkled her nose at the man, ready for booze to invade her nostrils, but was surprised to find that wasn't the case. The smell always hung around him, but it was ignorable right now.

_'Maybe he hasn't been drinking in a while...'_

As Weiss climbed off of the back of the bike and Qrow gave her an odd look, Yang spoke up. "Hey Uncle Qrow."

Qrow blinked again, then smiled. "Hey firecracker. I see you found who you were looking for."

Yang pursed her lips. "I found someone. Finding who I'm looking for depends on you. Where's Ruby?"

Qrow jerked his chin to the door behind them. "Everyone is inside. Come on. I'm sure you all have a lot to talk about."

Weiss followed Yang and Qrow. Yang had a determined look on her face as they went inside. Her eyes not being red was the only thing that told Weiss that she wasn't mad.

Qrow called out. "I'm back!"

Weiss stiffened when she heard the familiar voice call out. "Be right there!" She missed that voice.

After a few seconds, Qrow looked at them and then back toward the kitchen.  He sounded awkward. Weiss couldn't really blame him. "Hey, uh, Ruby?"

A slightly exasperated voice rang back. "I'm coming!"

Weiss started fidgeting when she saw Ruby walking into the room, carrying a tray with a teapot and cups. Her leader was looking down at the tray as she walked. She sounded a little sheepish. "So, we didn't know how many people were coming, so we just cooked all of it."

At that point Ruby looked up and her eyes went wide, the tray dropping from her hands to clatter to the floor, and Weiss gasped as she finally really got a good look at her partner and leader.

Ruby's hair was longer than it had been at Beacon, her cloak draped around her neck and pinned with her symbol instead of pinned to her shoulders. That same cloak that Ruby had cared for so much was torn and frayed at the ends, a story of battles and trials that Weiss had yet to know, her silver eyes still so bright and vibrant. Weiss felt a tingle in her chest and placed her hands over the spot, hoping to hold the pleasant feeling there.

_'I made it. I'm here. She's here. She's...beautiful. She's...'_

Weiss' face began to fall.

_'...not looking at me...'_

Weiss saw that Ruby was starting at Yang, and Yang alone. Her once wide eyes slowly getting smaller as she started curling in on herself. She looked scared and starting shuffling back as Yang approached her.

Eventually, she started quickly apologizing. It sounded as though she left without saying goodbye to Yang, and was upset at herself for her actions. "Yang, I...I'm so sorry! I-I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more!"

Weiss' heart broke as Ruby started crying.

_'Oh gods. She must think Yang hates her.'_

Ruby was staring at the ground as tears came from her eyes. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and -"

The young leader was cut off when Yang stepped up and pulled her in for a hug. Weiss could hear the sadness and relief in her voice. "I love you."

Ruby started sobbing and shoved her face into Yang's shoulder, grabbing onto her sister like she would disappear. "I love you too."

Weiss heard Qrow beside her sigh in relief as she saw Ren, Nora, and Jaune walk into the room, watching the sisters with small smiles. She was happy for the sisters and wiped a tear from her eye at the reunion, but it was bittersweet. She didn't have that. She wanted that. She frowned and looked away.

_'Let them have this Weiss. Ruby needs her sister. She always did. Don't spoil this for them. What you want isn't as-'_

"Weiss."

Weiss' head shot back up as her best friend's quiet voice reached her ears. Both sisters were looking at her and spread their arms out in invitation. A shy smile touched Ruby's lips and Weiss felt her chest tingle again as her eyes teared up. She smiled as she ran over and threw her arms around their shoulders, pulling herself close to them.

_'I missed you all so much.'_

As Weiss hugged the sisters close, she let her happy tears flow freely. The gala, the fights with Jacques, the training, the escape from the manor, the back to back fights with giant Grimm, her month long captivity and subsequent rescue. After all of that, it was such a relief to finally be reuniting with her friends and be able to just...breathe.

Weiss openly sobbed, not caring how she looked. She was with her team and JNPR now...her friends...her **real** family.

Ruby's worried voice came from her left. "Weiss? Are you ok?"

Weiss smiled and just held on tighter, a chuckle coming through the tears.

"It's been a hell of a year..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And most of the teams are finally back together. There is still a lot of work to do and Weiss lost a lot of her physical progress in captivity. She is going to have to make that back up quick. I hope I properly showed how Weiss' mental and emotional condition worsened over the month. It's one thing to be depressed sitting in a mansion. It's quite another to be locked in a 8x10 cage in the middle of hostile territory, and her refusal to talk to her captors or show any weakness out of spite took a toll on her psyche. Anytime she started having hope of escape, it kept getting dashed. She wouldn't let herself cry in front of them so she shoved all her emotions down and was basically on autopilot. It wasn't until she got to see her friends again that she let them out.
> 
> Anyone else besides Vernal notice that Weiss stopped calling Jacques 'Father' after the Gala incident? That is her breaking free completely of his control. She doesn't even pretend he is her dad anymore.


	9. Getting Caught Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tearful reunion, the group takes time to reconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter 'was' going to cover a few heavy issues with a little humor mixed in, but...  
> Yeah, either I've been writing too much drama and angst, or I just really like writing humor, but as is the pattern with me lately, I've got my creative kick back and I was having WAY too much fun adding funny things to this chapter and once again it ballooned into a massive word vomit of jokes and humor mixed with the serious stuff. I think it helps keeps me going while I write drama and angst. Anyway, enjoy.
> 
> Also, minor warning: There is some minor adult humor and sexual innuendo in this chapter. (Now that a majority of the characters are 18 or older, I'm more comfortable having some of their humor also mature.)

Once everyone had calmed down from the tearful reunion with the sisters and team JNPR, Weiss grabbed her bag and basically ran to the nearest shower after Yang mentioned that she smelled like she hadn't bathed in a week which...was surprisingly accurate. The last thing she heard from the room was Nora saying that it wasn't like they hadn't been just as bad while hiking across Anima for months on end. **That** was a story she was interested in hearing.

Arriving in the bathroom, Weiss quickly (and happily) peeled off her dirty clothes. She had not taken them off in a month, and now that she had the promise of soap, she couldn't get them off fast enough.

 _'_ _Thank the gods for Aura. I can't imagine what kind of horrible rashes I would have right now otherwise.'_

Digging her clothes out of her bag, Weiss set out the only clean thing she had: Her workout/bed clothes. A nightgown wasn't exactly proper night time clothing for on the road, after all. Her dress from the mansion was in there too, but she had worn it the entire day she escaped, and it had sat in her bag for the last month. It wasn't something she wanted to wear to dinner with her friends. Tossing the dirty clothes into the washer, she got in the shower for a cool, relaxing soak. Her leather corset would need some attention too, but that could wait until later.

Looking down at herself as the water ran over her, Weiss grimaced at the shape her body was in. She had lost nearly all of her progress from her training. Her body was no stronger than it had been when she left Beacon. The stretching she had done while in captivity had lessened the damage, otherwise she would have been worse off, and her actual combat skill was probably a little rusty, but she was confident that at least that was improved since the fall.

 _'Small blessings, I suppose.'_  
  
Grimacing at the thought of all of her lost progress, she quickly washed and got out, picking up a familiar looking red and black hairbrush. She'd have to get her own supplies eventually, but Ruby probably wouldn't mind if she borrowed a few things for a night. Quickly drying and brushing her hair, Weiss threw her clothes into the dryer and quickly headed back to the living room.

She smelled the food cooking when she arrived, but had ignored it in favor of tearful hugs. Now she was starving. There was delicious smelling food just down the hall, and she couldn't wait any longer. Holding onto her long hair so it wouldn't drag on the floor, Weiss ran back down the hall, skidding to a stop on bare feet in the doorway to the dining room just as Jaune was setting a steaming pot of food on the table.

Everyone looked at her with confused expressions as she came into view. Catching her breath quickly from her sprint (She really **had** spent too long without exercise), she stood up tall with her old prim and proper demeanor and politely greeted them all. "Good evening everyone."

The act was slightly disrupted by the fact that Weiss was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and had her hair down, the long white tresses held up and draped over her arm like a waiter holding a towel. They all just kept staring at her. It was starting to make her a little uncomfortable. "What?"

Nora was the first to say anything. "Well, it's just that we've never seen you so..." The redhead twirled her hand around like she was trying to search for the right word.

Jaune came to Nora's rescue. He looked a bit sheepish, like he was worried he'd upset Weiss. "...informal."

Nora perked up. "Yeah! I don't think I've ever seen you wearing pants before today, let alone shorts. I don't think I've ever seen you **run** to a meal before either. It's...kinda weird."

Weiss blushed in embarrassment for a moment before regaining her composure, walking over and taking the empty seat between Jaune and Yang at the table and draping her hair across her lap to keep it off the floor. "Well, yes, but I didn't wish for you to all have to wait for me, so I made it a point to not delay too long, and all of my other clothes required cleaning."

Weiss filled a bowl for herself and inhaled the delicious aroma of the stew causing her stomach to growl...loudly. She blushed again. "And...I may have been a...little...hungry."

Everyone laughed and then Ruby resumed the story she had been telling while Weiss had been gone. Weiss listened with rapt attention as Ruby recounted their adventure across Anima. She thought she had a hard time with the Grimm she faced, but that paled in comparison to what Ruby called team RNJR (The girl still had a passion for naming things, it seemed) had to deal with. The story of the Geist Grimm had her particularly surprised. Jaune had gone into that fight with no weapon or Semblance.

Weiss glanced over at the man sitting next to her and finally took a good look at her goofy friend. It seemed that Jaune had gotten himself some new armor. A touch of red in her peripheral caught her attention and drew her eyes to his waist. Jaune had a red sash that pricked at something in her memory. When she looked to the sword that was still strapped to his waist and saw the familiar design, the gold trim of his white armor and the red sash made perfect sense to her and she couldn't help but smile sadly to herself.

_'Pyrrha...'_

Glancing back up to his face, she saw him smiling and laughing along with the others. Even Ren was smiling. That cheered Weiss up.

_'He was so heartbroken when we lost Pyrrha. It's good to see that they all managed to push on.'_

The stories kept going and going. Team RNJR had been through so much. The scorpion Faunus that had wanted to capture Ruby had Weiss worried though, but even after Qrow had gotten poisoned, Ruby had managed to injure the scorpion and make him retreat. That did confirm something for Weiss though, and she saw the same realization come across Yang's face. Salem **was** real. Raven wasn't lying about that. The girls shared a look, but both pushed the subject aside for the time being. This wasn't the time to think about that. This was a time to catch up with friends that had been apart for too long.

Yang was the first to bring things back to normal in her favorite way: Teasing. "How do you lose your map at a time like that?!"

Jaune looked down at his bowl and shook his head in embarrassment. "Believe me, I've asked myself the same thing ever since."

Weiss nudged shoulders with him as everyone laughed to let him know Yang was just joking. He eventually did smile too, but it looked a little forced to her. Nora was right there to talk up her leader though.  "Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles!"

Animated as ever, Nora swung her arms around in excitement. "You shoulda' seen this guy take a giant Grimm head on!"

Weiss smiled at him even as he tried to downplay his contribution, shifting the praise to Ruby. "I couldn't have done it without Ruby wearing it down."

Ruby's cheeks got pink at his praise and she shifted the praise again over to Ren. "Uh, me? Did you see Ren during that fight? He was out of control!"

Ren, ever the calm one, actually looked a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I may have lost my temper momentarily."

Weiss blinked. _'Ren...was angry?'_

Ruby was quick to correct him. "No, no! Out of control as in 'awesome'!"

Ren looked like he finally understood. "Ohhhh...."

There was a few seconds of silence before Ren gave a small smile and nodded. "Thank you."

Everyone laughed again as Ruby looked over at Weiss. "How about you Weiss? What have you been up to?"

Weiss stiffened up for a moment. _'Oh, geez. Where to start? Well, Ruby. Should I recant the story of how I got disinherited, how I nearly died on multiple occasions, or how I've been thinking about you on and off for the last year and trying to figure out if I want to date you or not and did a bunch of embarrassing things to try and figure that out? Ok...definitely **not** that last one...'_

Weiss relaxed herself. "Well, I suppose first off...I'm not heiress to the SDC anymore."

Everyone gasped at that. Ruby was the first to speak up. "Why? What happened?"

Ruby gave Weiss a strange look when the ex-heiress grinned at her. Weiss was actually kinda proud of what she was about to say. "Well, Jacques didn't really like it when I yelled at everyone at the party he threw and called basically everyone in Atlas high society a bunch of idiots. There was a lady badmouthing Vale and I kind of....lost my temper. I even accidentally summoned a Boarbatusk."

Ruby gasped in delight. "You did not!"

Weiss put her head in her hands. She was proud, but now that she said it out loud, she was also kind of embarrassed. "Yeah, right in the middle of the party."

Yang spoke up from next to her. She sounded quite amused. "Please tell me you let that lady have it."

Weiss sat back up like she was offended. "Oh course not!"

She then looked off to the side. "Even if I did really want to. That Boarbatusk would have killed her though. Heck, if I had my sword with me that night, a guy that was hitting on me might have gotten stabbed."

Yang chuckled. "Wow. That bad huh?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I would have rather suffered through another six months of Jaune's flirting than spend five minutes with that guy."

Jaune choked on his noodles next to her and she gave him a grin as he recovered. "You have to admit it was pretty bad."

Jaune grimaced at that. It **was** pretty bad. Even he could admit that now. She gave him a smile. "Don't feel bad. I don't think you're annoying anymore."

Jaune looked away with a small grin and a little bit of pink in his cheeks. It was nice how they were friends now.

Nora crossed her arms and looked haughty. "No way! I don't believe it."

Weiss gave her a confused look. "You don't think I like Jaune?"

Nora blinked, then seemed to realize what Weiss meant. She stuck her nose in the air again. "No, I meant I don't think you actually summoned a Grimm."

Weiss grinned wickedly and a blue glow appeared in Nora's peripheral. She glanced over to see a glowing blue and white Boarbatusk looking at her. Said Grimm growled and Nora fell out of her seat with a yell.

Everyone laughed at that.

Even Ren chuckled at his girlfriend. That had been a pleasant discovery for Weiss. It was nice that those two had **finally** gotten together officially.

Weiss dismissed the summon and continued her story while Nora recovered. "Anyway, after that Jacques sent me to my room and yelled at me for my behavior. Kept saying I was dragging the Schnee name through the mud. I was so angry I really laid into him. Once he...slapped me..."

The room got quiet instantly and Weiss heard a growl. While expecting it to come from Yang, she was surprised to hear it was from Jaune.

_'Well, he does have a lot of sisters. His reaction makes sense.'_

Weiss looked over at Ruby. The girl wasn't growling, but her expression promised retribution on the one that hurt her friend. Weiss was quick to continue.  "After that, I told him that the Schnee name wasn't his legacy, and how I was going to carry it on as a huntress. He said he wasn't going to let me continue huntress training and while he didn't say it directly, he certainly implied that he was going to hold me prisoner in the mansion until I gave in to his demands."

Weiss had that same pleasant tingle run up her spine (her new favorite sensation) at the memory of her defiance at Jacques. She grinned.

"I got up in his face and listed off all the horrible things he did to my family and the people of the company and how I wasn't going to let him control me anymore. He really didn't like that and took the company away and passed it to my younger brother. I told him he would never be able to keep me there and shoved him out of my room."

It was silent for a while as everyone at the table took that information in. Nora was the first to speak up. "Wow. Way to go girl! You should have really made him mad and told him you were gay or a Faunus or something. I bet that would have really pissed him off."

Although Nora was grinning, Weiss noticed that Ruby, Yang, and Jaune all looked at her. Even though the team had discussed it, they decided to not tell the rest of team JNPR at the time. It was still a secret that needed kept back then. Now, it didn't really matter. Nora could yell the news from the rooftops for all she cared. Weiss had to keep the smirk off her face as she took a drink of her coffee. "Who says I didn't?"

Silence reigned again in the room. Weiss kept her face neutral in a way that would have made Blake proud. Nora blinked. "You're gay?"

Weiss had been giving that a lot of thought over the last year. She didn't know what she was exactly, but she did know 'gay' wasn't it. She felt the same way about boys that she did girls. She looked at Nora and grinned behind her cup. "No."

Everyone watched Nora as the redhead struggled with that. Weiss could practically see the gears turning (and possibly grinding to a halt) in her head. Ren finally spoke up. He sounded like he didn't actually believe the words coming out of his own mouth, like he was sure he was misunderstanding Weiss. "Are you saying...that you are a Faunus?"

Weiss sat down her cup and took hold of the hem of her shirt, lifting one side up to expose her gills. She flexed the muscles once to give the duo a good look before lowering the garment. Ren looked completely dumbstruck at the revelation, staring at Weiss with wide eyes. Nora had a slightly different reaction.

The gears in the redhead's mind finally snapped loose and she yelled out. "You're a Faunus!? Ren! Weiss is a Faunus! Jaune! Jaune! Wei-" Nora suddenly stopped when she saw Jaune's face. He was...calm. Just sitting there eating his food. "Jaune?"

The blonde boy in question looked up at his team mate. He was smiling, just a bit. "Yes Nora?"

Nora looked at him in disbelief. "You knew?"

Jaune had a little smile on his face and he gave his teammate a shrug. He kind of felt proud that he wasn't the last one to know something, for once. "Yeah."

Weiss spoke up with a grin of her own. "Jaune was actually the first one to find out."

The grins on both of their faces turned to frowns when Nora's face fell. She looked on the verge of crying, like she had been betrayed. "And you never told us?"

Jaune stared at her for a few moments before he looked away in shame. The conversation suddenly wasn't very fun anymore. "I gave my word..."

"Nora."

The redhead in question looked at the white haired Faunus sitting next to her leader and saw the regret on the girl's face. "When Jaune found out about my heritage, it was a closely guarded secret. Jacques Schnee is not my real father. He never even knew what I was. If he or the board of directors ever found out, I was sure that I would have had the company taken from me. When Jaune found out, I made him promise not to ever tell anyone. It was weeks later before Ruby, Blake, and Yang found out. They were the only ones at Beacon that knew, and it was only by accident that they ever became aware of it."

Weiss sighed. "I never intended to tell anyone until **long** after I ran the SDC. The only reason that I don't care if the information gets out now is because it no longer matters. I even rubbed the fact that I'm not Jacques' child in his face after he disinherited me. That future has been stolen from me, so now I'm making a new one for myself. So, please, don't blame Jaune. He was just honoring the trust that I put in him."

Nora calmed down a bit, but she still looked hurt. "So, why did you tell him?"

Weiss looked a bit sheepish. "I...actually never told him. He found out by accident when he walked in on me in the bathroom."

Nora went from sad to on the verge of laughing in an instant. "Jaune! How did you walk into the wrong bathroom?" She gasped. "Did you see Weiss naked!?"

Jaune went bright red at that and sputtered. "N-no! I did not see her n-naked!"

Regaining his composure just a bit, he got a little haughty himself. "And for your information, it was Weiss that was in the wrong bathroom. It's not my fault she had her shirt half off in the men's room."

Weiss went red herself and swatted his arm. "Jaune! Don't make me sound like some kind of deviant! I was trying to rinse milk out of my shirt in the sink, not putting on a show!"

Yang busted out laughing. "That is the funniest mental image I've ever had! Weiss standing in a bathroom with her shirt half off waiting for Jaune to walk in for a show!"

Luckily for the two highly embarrassed individuals sitting at the table, both of which had their heads buried in the hands, Ruby came to their rescue, her face as red as her friends'. "OK! ok! That is enough of that talk!"

Weiss was quick to capitalize on the following silence. "Anyway! I spent the next ten months after that practiacally tearing my room apart with training." Her face fell as she muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Even if I lost all that progress being locked in a cage for a month. I was in the best shape I'd ever been just a month ago."

Before anyone could start pitying her, she quickly continued. "But before that, I managed to take down two giant Grimm...mostly...by myself one right after the other."

That got the desired reaction and Ruby perked up. "You killed two giant Grimm by yourself!? What were they!? How did you do it!? Did you use those cool Grimm summons!?"

Weiss smiled at Ruby's excitement and went into a lengthy retelling of her escape from Atlas and the crazy and quite frankly terrifying day she had. She had everyone's undivided attention for the next half an hour and when she was done they were all staring at her.

Yang was looking at her in absolute disbelief. "You are trying to tell me that you...a **shark** Faunus...got a bunch of **actual** sharks...to attack a shark **Grimm**?"

Ren was next. "And then you made a massive ice spear..."

Nora finished the sentence. "...and you threw it into the Grimm's mouth and killed it?"

Jaune was next. "And you did all of this **after** fighting off a Queen Lancer **and** falling hundreds of feet out of the sky?"

Weiss blushed a bit at that. Now that it was being described to her, it **did** sound rather impressive. She shyly scrunched up her shoulders and dipped her head. "Well...pretty much, yeah..."

Weiss looked up when she heard a high pitched squealing. Trying to locate the source, her eyes landed on Ruby. Her partner had her hands tucked under her chin with a huge smile. The girl was practically vibrating. In fact...she might have been. Rose petals were starting to appear and fade almost instantly from her. A few moments later, Ruby couldn't contain her excitment any longer and Weiss was bowled over as her partner crashed into her in a hug while sporting a huge smile. "OH MY GOD WEISS! THAT SOUNDS **AMAZING**! THAT IS **SO** COOL!"

Weiss was glad she was already blushing when Ruby hit her, because if she wasn't before, she would have been now. Luckily it was covered up by the fact that her hair was now draped over Ruby's back, thrown forward by the sudden force of her being launched backwards as the two crashed to the floor, covering both girls in a mass of white strands. It was almost nice...until Ruby moved her leg and said hair got tangled in her boot laces, yanking painfully at Weiss' scalp. "OW! Ruby! You're on my hair!"

Ruby started moving to get up, causing more pain. Weiss' yell made the young leader freeze in place. Her eyes were wide in fear as she looked at Weiss taking a deep breath. The blue eyes that met her's weren't angry like she expected though. They were more...playfully exasperated...would be the best way Ruby could describe them, like Weiss expected this behavior and reluctantly accepted it. It kind of reminded Ruby of how Ren always dealt with Nora.

When Ruby chuckled nervously, Weiss just rolled her eyes with a defeated smile and called out. "A little help please?" Ruby's eyes went wide as strong arms wrapped around her and gently lifted her off of Weiss. A second set of hands was busy untangling Weiss' loose hair from Ruby's boots.

Once the two huntresses were untangled, Weiss saw Jaune kneeling next to her while a embarrassed Ruby was being lifted by the waist by Yang. The two blondes were looking at them with amused expressions.

Jaune spoke up first. "Maybe we should have waited a few more minutes so you could have put your hair up before we ate."

Weiss blew a loose strand of hair out of her face and rolled her eyes while taking Jaune's hand as he helped her to her feet. "Oh, ha ha."

Yang laughed while holding Ruby in a bear hug. "Long hair 101, Weiss."

Ruby was unusually quiet and everyone looked at her hanging in Yang's arms. The young girl was staring at the robotic appendage that was wrapped around her waist with wide, star struck eyes and poking at the various joints and plates with her finger. "Oooooo..."

Yang caught everyone's eyes and winked, mouthing 'watch' before deploying the barrel embedded in the arm. Ruby froze, staring at the addition, before squealing in delight. "Oh my goodness! It's a gun too!?"

Yang chuckled. "Sure is sis. It's no replacement for the real thing, but I'll make good use of it."

Ruby was twisting herself at almost unnatural angles trying to look at every part of the arm at once. "And it's just a strong?"

Yang grinned at her sister. "Sure is."

A loud 'thunk' sounded out and the sisters looked over to see Nora with her elbow on the table, a look of challenge clear on her face. "Wanna bet?"

Weiss was trying to get her hair back into some semblance of order and really didn't want anymore excitement at the moment. "Nora, please, now's really not the time..."

...And it was already too late. Yang had dropped Ruby and was already at the table arm wresting Nora...

In the span of seconds, the group had already split into teams. Jaune and Ren were cheering on Nora, and Ruby was yelling in excitement. "C'mon sis! You can't lose to a girl in a skirt!"

Weiss ran her eyes over Ruby, feeling like she needed to confirm her thoughts before voicing them, just to make sure.

_'Yep, just as I thought...'_

" **You** wear a skirt, Ruby."

Weiss went wide eyed when Ruby was suddenly in her face with her hands on her shoulders. "Weiss, you're not cheering loud enough!"

Weiss could just roll her eyes at that.

_'Seriously? **This** is the girl I've been having feelings for?'_

Nora and Yang were both grunting with exertion. They still seemed pretty evenly matched, even after all this time. "It definitely feels like the original. I'll give you that!"

Yang had that cocky attitude that Weiss remembered from back at Beacon. "Yep! But, it does have some new features!"

Nora smirked. "Heh, oh yeah?"

There was a sudden sound of gears turning and Nora looked down with concern at Yang's hand. One moment, the two musclebound girls were in a contest of strength, the next had Nora slamming into the wall with a golden robot arm in her hand.

Weiss and Ruby were both surprised and a bit horrified by what happened. Jaune looked a little concerned. Ren...well....Ren was just looking at the redhead groaning in pain with a thoughtful look on his face and a quirk to his lips. He didn't seem overly concerned.

Jaune looked back toward Weiss and Ruby with a questioning look. "Did she...win?"

Weiss wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that and as Nora recovered and realized what she was holding, she screamed and threw the arm away. Yang caught it and started laughing as Weiss looked at her in horror.

_'Yang...you've lost your gods damned mind...'_

Ruby just looked at her sister with an amused grin and shook her head.

\-----

After everyone had calmed down, Jaune began gathering up the dishes. "Gyah...We ate it all... Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Weiss had to admit, he didn't look the best at the moment. For how much bigger he was compared to everyone else, the guy just couldn't hold down as much food as the rest of them.

_'Of course, Ruby has a metabolism unlike anyone I've ever seen, and I haven't had a decent meal in weeks, so that **might** have something to do with it...'_

Yang was in an especially good mood right now though and grinned at him. It was almost like they were back at Beacon again. "Easy there, Vomit Boy. I believe in you."

Jaune rolled his eyes. He didn't sound especially impressed as he left the room. "Ooh, we're doing nickname throwbacks now. Wonderful..."

Despite the fact Jaune was starting to remind Weiss of herself with his attitude, she couldn't help but giggle at that.

_'Despite everything. The guy is still a dork.'_

It was nice to laugh though. She had almost forgotten that old nickname...then Nora spoke up. "I mean, the Ice Queen seems to like it."

Weiss stopped giggling, giving Ruby a deadpan look as the younger girl started laughing at her. She couldn't keep the mask up though. She was in too good of a mood. A grin slipped onto her face as she rolled her eyes and looked at Nora. "I **so** did not miss you people."

The redhead had an exaggerated look of mock disbelief on her face. "Oh my gosh! She really does like it!"

Weiss could only roll her eyes again and shake her head with a smile.

_'Ok...I missed you too Nora.'_

Now said girl had her attention firmly on the white haired Faunus. "What went and warmed your heart while you were gone?"

Weiss blushed a bit as she glanced at Ruby. _'Good friends thawed my heart long before I left. One in particular...'_

Not willing to voice that thought at the moment, Weiss grinned at the smirking redhead. "Hey! You make it sound like I used to be terrible."

Yang chuckled. "Nah, just a lot to deal with at once."

Yang and Weiss stuck their tongues out at each other.

"I second that."

Everyone looked over to see Jaune leaning against the wall next to the kitchen door with a grin on his face.

Ruby giggled at that and Weiss gave the blonde man a glare, although admittedly it lacked any bite. "Excuse you? You were much more of a handful than I ever was."

Yang smirked, always ready to jump on a pun and/or embarrassing innuendo. "And just how much of a _handful_ was he Weiss?"

The room went silent as everyone looked at Yang. Ruby looked a little green. Jaune went red in the face. Nora and Ren stared at her in disbelief, although Nora started grinning. Ruby was the first to break the silence. "YANG! NO! Ew ew ew! Don't talk about stuff like that!"

Weiss had a slightly different reaction since she was drinking her coffee at that moment...

Her eyes were squeezed shut tight mid drink and she looked to be in a lot of pain. As everyone looked at her in concern, the sides of her shirt started turning a dark brown. Weiss put down her cup and reached out without looking. "Water..."

Nora handed Weiss her glass and Weiss quickly titled her head back, pouring the entire glass of water down her throat. The spots on her shirt quickly got larger and as she put the glass back down, she grimaced as she wrapped her arms around her torso.

"Ow...."

Ruby looked concerned at her from across the table. "Weiss? You ok?"

Weiss let out a breath. "That....burned...."

Nora's eyes went wide in awe, looking between Weiss' face and her shirt. "Did you...just... **inhale** coffee?"

Weiss continued to grimace and nodded.

Yang look surprised. "Wow Weiss, when I used to say you ate, drank, and breathed caffeine, that isn't what I meant."

Weiss' eyes snapped open as she turned her head and glared at Yang. The blonde sister held her hands up in apology. "Sorry. I didn't know **that** would happen."

Weiss took another breath as the pain subsided. She looked down at her stained t-shirt and frowned, then back to Yang.

"I can literally breath water, Yang. I **can't** choke on liquid."

Nora smirked. "Good thing to know in case you ever get a boyfriend."

Weiss went red in the face again. "What is it with you two!? When did you both become such degenerates!?"

Before more lewd jokes could be added, Ruby and Jaune both simultaneously spoke up to their respective teammates.

"Yang/Nora, leave Weiss alone."

The two leaders stared at each other in surprise for a moment, then chuckled with grins.

Weiss smiled. "Thank you. Nice to see my best friends still stand up for me."

Yang mocked hurt. "Nora! We've been betrayed! All of our friends are turning against us!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Drama queen. At least one of the blondes here isn't still acting juvenile."

Yang stuck her tongue out at Weiss in reply before Ren spoke up. "It's been a long time. We've all grown up in our own ways."

Ruby looked over at him. "You really think so?"

Ren looked down at his cup. "Well, think back to when we were all at Beacon. Would you say you ever did anything foolish or embarrassing...or do you think you were perfect?"

Weiss was certain he was looking right at her when he said that. Looking over at Ruby, she was reminded of just how bad she used to be.

_"I'm not perfect! But, I'm still leagues better than you."_

Weiss put her head in her hands in embarrassment. "Oh, gosh..."

_'I was so awful back then.'_

She looked up when Yang started talking, sounding a little ashamed. "I may have been a little too gung-ho from time to time."

Ruby was next on the embarrassment train. "Heh, you? I tried to 1v1 a Deathstalker on the second day of school. If it wasn't for Weiss, I might have been dead. I was so dumb."

A sad chuckle came from Jaune. "Yeah, well...don't even get me started. I did a **lot** of stupid and embarrassing things."

Ren spoke up again. "Well, that embarrassment...that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid...that just proves you're not the same person you use to be."

Ren looked at Ruby. "You're smarter..." His gaze moved to Weiss. "...or kinder..." Finally, it settled on his blonde team leader. "...or stronger..." He looked them all over. "...and you're not done growing yet. None of us are."

There was a few beats of silience before Ruby spoke up again with a smile. "Yeah, turns out Ren gets real deep when he feels like talking."

Everyone chuckled at that.

Weiss looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ren...I think that is the most I've ever heard you talk at one time."

Ren just gave her a small smile and sipped at his tea.

 _'Ah, there is the Ren I remember.'_ She thought humorously.

Nora stood up. "Hey! I thought I was pretty great in school!"

Yang grinned at her. "Even at the dance, when you spilled punch all over yourself in front of-?"

Nora was suddenly next to Yang with her scroll blaring a song and yelling. "YES, especially at the dance! THANK YOU YANG!"

Yang plugged her ears at the loud noise.

Weiss and Jaune looked at each other with matching grins while Ruby laughed. They were sitting at the table at the dance and got front row seats to Nora's embarrassing punch accident in front of Ren.

An annoyed gruff voice rang out over the laughter. "How can six kids make so much noise eating dinner?"

Everyone looked over at the door to the living room to see Qrow and a young boy standing there. Weiss sniffed the air. Qrow seemed unusually sober since she had arrived.

_'Either what is going on is really important, or maybe it is because of the really young boy we have here.'_

Said boy looked shy and chuckled at their antics. He gave Weiss an inquisitive look. One she mirrored.

Ruby must have noticed the questioning look on Weiss' face, because she perked up. "OH! You guys haven't been introduced yet. Weiss, this is Oscar. Oscar, Weiss."

Oscar gave a nervous wave and Weiss nodded at him. "It is nice to meet you Oscar."

Oscar tilted his head to the side for a moment and seemed to be staring off into space, then his gaze sharpened again as he looked at her. "It is nice to meet you too, Miss Schnee."

Weiss blinked at the formality, then smiled. "Just Weiss is fine."

Oscar chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Sure."

Yang looked over at Ruby and whispered. "Is he...ok?"

Ruby just waved off her sister. "Naw it's fine. He just does that when Ozpin is talking to him."

Yang tensed up. "What do you mean....Ozpin...talks to him?"

Ruby spun her hand in a circle while trying to explain. "Yeah...It's kind of a...reincarnation thing? Their souls are combined and Ozpin is in his brain...or something like that."

Oscar chuckled. "Yeah. If you think it is weird hearing about it, try living it."

Yang's head swung around to look at Weiss. She looked concerned, and maybe a little unhappy. Weiss herself was a bit freaked out, but did her best to hide that fact.

Qrow spoke up. "Alright everyone. Meeting time in the living room."

Things just got a lot more concerning to Weiss as Raven's words came back to her. _'Ozpin comes back from the dead? Salem is real.... Magic is real....'_

Thinking quickly, Weiss remembered her wet shirt. That gave her an idea. "I'll be right there. I need to go change my shirt real quick."

Qrow waved her off after seeing the wet blotches on her shirt. "Sure thing mini Ice Queen. Don't take too long."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the nickname. It wasn't quite as endearing coming from Ruby's uncle. Taking advantage of her excuse, she quickly made her way back to the laundry/bath room and dug her clothes out of the dryer.

As she pulled off her wet shirt and shorts, she tried to organize her thoughts.

_'Raven wasn't lying. Ruby confirmed that Salem is real and has followers hunting for her. Ozpin came back from the dead and is a voice in Oscar's head. How does that even work? Raven can turn into a bird...and from what she said, it sounds like Qrow can too. Now that I think about it, their names are way too convenient for that. They were named Qrow and Raven, and then later in life they get magical abilities that let them turn into birds? How crazy is that? Did they change their names after they got that ability? No, they wouldn't have done that. That would be stupid...'_

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts as Ruby poked her head into the room, a look of concern on her face. "Weiss, you ok? Were your clothes not done yet?"

Weiss looked at Ruby and then turned around to grab her dress as the younger girl walked into the room. "Yeah...yeah, they were done."

Ruby was looking at her hands, nervously poking her index fingers together. "Ok, just wanted to make sure. You were kinda...standing in your underwear staring off into space.

_'Oh... I was , wasn't I? Is she flustered because she is seeing me like this? She's not staring. Is she just being polite? It's been a year already.... I didn't even think of that. Does she still have feelings for me?'_

Weiss shook her head clear while pulling her dress on. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something. Do you mind helping me with this?"

Weiss turned her back to Ruby and held her hair out of the way as Ruby walked up and pulled the zipper up on the back of her dress. "Want to talk about it? Might help."

Weiss turned around and looked at her leader. She wanted to have that important conversation...but...she was just too emotionally drained for something like that right now, **and** she was certain what she was about to hear from Qrow and Oscar would only add to that. She needed a clear head for that conversation.

_'It's been a good day. I need to just let myself enjoy that.... Tomorrow.... First thing after breakfast tomorrow I'll talk to her.'_

With that mental declaration to herself, Weiss smiled at Ruby. "Yes, but not tonight. Come on. The others are probably waiting for us."

Ruby smiled back and led the way back to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be a lot longer and cover the talk between the group and Ozpin (basically covering the entirety of Volume 5: Chapter 7), but in all honesty, it is taking a lot longer to write these chapters than I anticipated. (See: Adding lots of humorous moments to this chapter) So, I split this one up in order to give myself some breathing room to work on the story without having to give up my posting schedule. (I don't want to lose my momentum because I'm having fun with this.)


	10. Underlying Current

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and Yang get brought up to date and Weiss finds out that not everyone is as fine as they appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.. Things were 'supposed' to calm down this week, but....not the case. Didn't get as much done as I wanted, but still managed to write enough to qualify as a decent chapter. If things go well, next week will just have a really long one because I'm hoping to put what I didn't manage to get into this one in with chapter 11.

As the two entered the living room, Weiss sat in the empty spot next to Yang while Ruby sat on the other couch next to Jaune. Oscar was sitting in the arm chair looking around nervously while holding Ozpin's cane. Once everyone was settled Qrow looked over at Oscar. "Ok, Oz. Let's get this started."

Oscar looked over and caught Weiss and Yang's eyes, giving them a nervous smile like he had earlier before nodding to himself. The boy closed his eyes and let out a breath. His eyes suddenly snapped open and glowed yellow as he took in a sharp breath. Oscar's body relaxed, but his posture shifted automatically, sitting up straight and placing both hands on the top of the cane. He radiated calm and control, so different from the boy Weiss had just been watching.

Oscar turned to look at Weiss and Yang. When he spoke, his voice had an odd echo to it. It was a mix of Oscar...and another very familiar voice. "Greeting Miss Schnee, Miss Xiao Long. It is a pleasure to see you both again."

Weiss gasped. This was even stranger than she anticipated. "Professor Ozpin? Wha...what happened to Oscar?"

Oscar...no....Ozpin chuckled. "Oscar is still here, and he can hear and see everything, just as I can hear and see what he does when he is in control. He is granting me control to make this easier."

_'Ok...so I guess....I'll just call him Ozpin when the professor is in charge...I guess...otherwise this is going to get really confusing...'_

Qrow spoke up. "Oz..."

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Yes, Oscar can only grant me control for so long, so we should get started."

For the next forty-five minutes, Ozpin went into a speech of fairy tales, stories of magic, a short explanation of what Salem was, and the purpose of the academies in protecting ancient relics. Weiss had tried being more open minded since coming to Beacon, but even this was sounding crazy...but then again, Professor Ozpin was sitting in the body of another person right in front of her, so she was forced to accept at least that.

Throughout the entire explanation, Yang sat with her arms crossed and a less than happy look on her face. As Ozpin finished his explanation, everyone sat looking at each other in tense silence. Weiss was the first to speak up. "So....the Maidens....Magic...Salem...It's all true?"

Qrow looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Uh-huh."

Ozpin looked over at them. "Miss Xiao Long, is this more or less what your mother told you?"

Weiss looked at at her teammate. Seeing Yang frowning, deep in thought, Weiss decided to answer. "For the most part."

_'There was that other thing though....'_

Before Weiss had a chance to ask, Yang beat her to it. "You forgot something."

Finally looking at the Professor, Yang had the same annoyed look on her face that she had with her mother. "You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother."

Everyone got a curious looks on their faces and looked at Ozpin. Jaune spoke up first. "What is she talking about?"

Qrow rolled his eyes. He didn't sound like he wanted to explain this part. The sarcasm was plain in his voice. "Oh, great..."

Ozpin closed his eyes and hummed in acknowledgment. "That is not a secret I thought she would give up so easily."

He looked over at Yang. "Your mother must trust you a great deal."

Yang mearly frowned at him. Weiss sighed.

_'I'm not sure Yang would agree with that...'_

Ozpin himself sighed. "My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain....'magical' power."

Ozpin stood up and walked around the table over to Qrow. "Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to 'see' more, to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies."

As he stood next to Qrow, he chuckled. "I..well...gave them the ability to turn into birds. Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?"

Weiss noticed that for just a moment, Ozpin tilted his head and had that same far away look in his eye.

_'I wonder what Oscar is saying to him...?'_

Ruby and Nora looked slightly concerned as Ruby spoke her uncle's name in question. Jaune looked upset for some reason that Weiss wasn't aware of yet, but it was Ren that spoke up. "You turned them...into birds?"

Nora went from concerned to disbelieving. "Ok, now you're just messing with us."

Jaune crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch. He sounded really bitter. "What else is new?"

Weiss was concerned. _'Ok, there is something seriously wrong that Yang and I don't know about yet. I'm going to have to ask Ruby about this later. At least I can contribute to the conversation now...'_

"He's telling the truth."

When everyone looked over at her, she took a breath. It was still strange remembering the event. "We saw it. Yang's mom...changed...right in front of us."

Qrow and Ozpin looked slightly uncomfortable when everyone looked back at them. This apparently annoyed Yang. At least her eyes were still lilac. "Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?"

Qrow decided to cut in. Weiss couldn't decided if he was more angry or annoyed. "Yang, that's enough. We made a choice. We wanted this."

Yang blinked and her scowl dropped from her face as she leaned back. Weiss also blinked.

_'Raven didn't lie exactly, but she certainly made it sound like it was forced upon them. As much as I hate to say it, I trust Qrow more than I do Raven...'_

Ozpin sighed and looked at Qrow. "May I?"

When Qrow nodded, Ozpin walked over toward Yang. "Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear. As for why I did not mention this earlier. It was not **my** secret to share. That was up to Qrow and Raven."

Ruby looked thoughtful as she digested that information. She looked up. "Ok...so...have you done this with others, like General Ironwood, or Professor Goodwitch?"

Ozpin finished his walk around the table, ending up next to where Yang sat. "As helpful as that might be, unfortunately it is not that simple. My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount that I gifted to Qrown and Raven was, all things considered, rather minuscule."

Ozpin sighed. "Centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first Maidens."

Weiss sat processing that information. In the silence, it seemed like everyone was.

_'Ozpin gave the Maiden's their powers. He was the depressed hermit from the story?'_

After the small stretch of quiet, Ozpn spoke up again, looking at Yang, then to everyone else. "Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you....

Ozpin looked back at Yang. "There are just some matters that I prefer to...play close to the chest. Miss Schnee, I believe you can relate?"

Yang turned her head to give Weiss a look. "Weiss?"

Weiss sighed. "Do you remember when you all found out I was a Faunus and I got into a fight with Blake?"

A look that Weiss couldn't quite place came over Yang's face at the mention of their missing teammate, but she simply nodded.

Weiss glanced at Ruby, then back to Yang. "When I was trying to...calm down, I ran into Professor Ozpin. I asked him what to do if my friends found out something I didn't want discovered, and he told me that while I didn't have to explain everything, I should be truthful and give enough information to explain **why** I chose to hide."

She glanced back at Ozpin. "That advice makes a lot more sense now."

Ozpin hummed in agreement. "Indeed. Over the centuries, many times friends and allies learned of my....ability. I was forced to explain the situation on more than one occassion."

He looked back over the group. "Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them...and later, one of them chose to abandon her duties, in favor of her own self-interest."

Ozpin looked tired. "Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There is no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat."

Everyone looked at each other in the silence. Weiss felt her confidence starting to waiver as the doubtful voice came back to her.

**'You aren't ready for this. This is far more than you bargained for.'**

When no one answered, Ozpin looked them over. "Ok..."

Yang suddenly rose to her feet. She had that same frown that had adorned her face for most of the conversation. Ruby looked over at her sister warily. "Yang?"

Weiss found herself impressed by how determined Yang looked. "If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there is one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow always knows the right thing to do."

**_'She's never let you down. You know you can trust her no matter what.'_ **

_'That's true. I can always count on Ruby. Now she needs to be able to count on me. I swore to be the best teammate ever. I need to make good on that. We are in this together.'_

**_'And that is why you love her.'_ **

Weiss' eyes widened slightly as she realized what she always suspected.

_'I do love her...'_

Weiss was jarred out of her inner musings when Yang looked back at Ozpin. "But, if we are going to help. If we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths."

Ozpin looked at Qrow and received a shrug in return. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then looked back up at Yang, a small smile on his face. "Understood."

Yang sat back down, seemingly satisfied with the answer. Everyone looked around again before Jaune spoke up. "So...what now? I mean, what can we do?"

Ozpin looked thoughtful again. "Mm, that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow."

Jaune looked as confused as Weiss felt at that answer. "What do you mean?"

Ozpin turned and placed a hand on Yang's shoulder. "The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it has been far too long since you all have been together. Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment."

Weiss saw Yang finally show the first smile since the conversation started. She sported a similar smile herself.

_'I really could use the rest. It is getting late, and this day has been exhausting.'_

Ozpin's eyes glowed yellow for a moment, and his posture relaxed. That was until he looked at where his hand was and stumbled back, gripping the cane with both hands and looking thoroughly embarrassed.

Weiss chuckled along with Yang as she looked at him. "Welcome back Oscar."

Oscar smiled back at her, before his face dropped slightly to look annoyed. When Weiss gave him a questioning look, the boy pouted. It was **adorable**. "He's laughing at me..."

Weiss covered her mouth to hold back her laughter, choosing to spare the boy further embarrassment. That was when Nora spoke up again like she had just realized something very important. "Ooooooohh."

When everyone looked at her, she looked just as excited as when she found out Weiss was a Faunus. "Qrow! Raven!"

She clapped her hands together as she looked at everyone. "They're birds!"

The redhead leaned back and put her hands behind her head, looking smug. "Cracked it!"

Ren closed his eyes and quirked his lips, shaking his head. Weiss smiled at him.

_'Ren....you have the patience of a saint.'_

\-----

As everyone got up and started heading out, Weiss stopped. "Hey, Ruby?"

When her leader looked back, Weiss had trouble meeting her eyes. "Um...where are Yang and I sleeping?"

Ruby's eyes went wide when she realized that hadn't been discussed yet and she got a thoughtful look on her face as she tapped her chin. "Well, Jaune is rooming with Ren and Nora. Uncle Qrow and Oscar are in another room, and I've got a spare single in mine. There are two more that have doubles in them, so someone could take one of those and one can room with me."

Yang looked over to Ruby with a grin. "I'll room with ya sis. We can let the Ice Queen have the big bed to herself."

Weiss rolled her eyes and swung around to stalk down the hall. "I spent the last month sleeping on the ground using my hair as a pillow, so I'm going to ignore that comment and happily take the big bed."

Yang smiled. "Night Princess."

Ruby's happy voice called out as the sisters went the opposite direction. "Night Weiss."

After bidding the sisters goodnight, Weiss went off to find one of the spare bedrooms and got ready for bed. As tired as she was and despite the softness of the bed, Weiss found herself unable to sleep. She spent several hours staring at the ceiling going over all of the things she heard tonight.

_'I wanted to become a huntress to help people and reclaim honor for my family name, but now? Now I'm a mission to literally save the world. What was I thinking?'_

**_'It is the right thing to do.'_ **

Weiss frowned. _'Maybe I should have roomed with someone. I'm talking to myself way too much.'_

**_'At least you aren't going crazy.'_ **

Weiss' eyes went wide.

_'Am I sure I'm not?'_

**_'You're not going crazy, but you have remind yourself to stop doubting yourself somehow.'_ **

_'I suppose people do occasionally have conversations with themselves when they are thinking...'_

**_'You know what you want in your life, and your subconscious will keep reminding you until it sticks. Help people, save the world...and go get the girl Weiss.'_ **

Weiss blushed at that in spite of herself. She really wasn't ready for that conversation, but she promised herself she would talk to Ruby tomorrow mor...this morning, seeing as it was after midnight. As her mind finally went quiet Weiss was about to fall asleep when an odd noise caught her attention. It sounded like someone was struggling with something...or lifting? Whatever it was, someone was grunting.

Making her way toward her door, she poked her head out into the hall. She wasn't exactly dressed for wandering around the house, but she figured her tank top and underwear would be fine since her actual sleep clothes were still soaked in coffee. The lights were off and practically everyone was asleep. She was the only Faunus in the house, so she could just wander in the dark. Besides, everyone in the house had been to an academy with coed rooms anyway. She didn't have anything to worry about.

Making her way down the hall, she followed the noise. The grunts were getting louder and she thought she heard a female voice accompanying it.

Weiss rolled her eyes. _'Yang would probably make a crude joke right now.'_

Passing by the doorway to the courtyard, she found the source of the noise. Looking out into the courtyard she saw an unexpected sight. Jaune was standing with his sword and shield drawn. His armor and hoodie probably back in JNPR's room. Weiss was pretty sure this was actually the first time she saw the man without a Beacon uniform or his hoodie on. Jaune was in a t-shirt and pants going through a simple combat routine.

_'Well, Nora wasn't kidding when she called him "Mister Muscles". He is not nearly as scrawny as he was last year. Why is he going through such a simple routine though? I know for a fact he knows more advanced stuff.'_

"Alright. Now, assuming you aren't cheating, we can take a break."

Weiss gasped as she heard the familiar voice from so long ago.

As Weiss watched Jaune stare at his scroll while listening to a video of his late girlfriend trying to confess her full feelings to him, Weiss' heart broke for the man.  At the same time, she noticed someone walk up and lean against the door frame opposite of herself.

"He does that every night."

Weiss looked over to see Ruby watching Jaune too. "Every night?"

Ruby nodded. "It was about two months after we left Patch. Pyrrha's death was still fresh in all of our minds. I kept having dreams of her calling out to Jaune. One night I woke up and saw his bedroll empty and heard her voice. I followed it and saw him doing that exact same routine."

Weiss pursed her lips. "What did he say when he saw you?"

Ruby shook her head. "He never saw me. I figured he needed time to himself, but I kept an eye out at night. He does the same thing every time. Practice and watch that video. I want to help, but I don't know how, so I just try to keep as positive as I can for everyone."

Weiss frowned. "You're not ok though, are you?"

Ruby seemed startled at the question, then gave her partner a sad smile. "I have my moments. It's hard sometimes, but I'm ok...."

Her smile got a little warmer. "...and it is really good to have you and Yang back."

Weiss smiled back. "It's good to be back."

_'Maybe I should just get the conversation out of the way now.'_

Before Weiss could continue that thought, Ruby continued. "He's getting better though, ya know?  He smiles more, and it is genuine most of the time. I just...wish I could help him out more."

Weiss frowned. "What about Ren and Nora?"

Ruby glanced over at Weiss, then back to Jaune. He was too absorbed in what he was doing to notice the two girls watching him from the shadows. "They support him as much as they can. It's been hard on all of us, but they were closer to Pyrrha and Jaune than I was, so they have a better chance to get through to him."

Weiss looked back at Jaune. "There's been something that has been bugging me. What is the deal between Ozpin and Jaune? He seemed really upset at him."

Ruby frowned. "You remember the Maiden's story?"

When Weiss nodded, Ruby looked over at her. "The Fall Maiden was attacked by Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald, and somehow Cinder managed to steal part of her powers. According to Uncle Qrow, Ozpin and General Ironwood made a machine that kept the old Fall Maiden alive, but she was still dying. They were worried that if she died, the rest of the power would go to Cinder...so...they made a way to move her aura to a new 'host'."

Ruby sighed. "They chose Pyrrha to be the new host and she agreed. Cinder followed them and got the rest of the powers, then killed Ozpin. That was when Pyrrha decided to try and stop her. Jaune blames Ozpin. It's made things a little...tense...between them at times."

Weiss frowned at that. "Is that going to...cause problems?"

Ruby shrugged. "We've been here a couple months and it hasn't gotten bad. Oscar is in charge most of the time and he gets along with Jaune fine. Ozpin usually only comes out to help with our training."

Ruby glanced out at Jaune again, then looked back at Weiss, pointing behind her back toward the bedrooms. "We should all get some sleep. We have to get you and Yang worked into our training sessions."

Weiss looked over at her. "Why are you up right now anyway?"

Ruby tilted her head toward Jaune again. "Habit. I wake up around this time every night to check on him."

Weiss smiled. "It's good to see you still care about everyone so much."

Ruby looked back at Jaune again. If it wasn't for her night vision, Weiss might have missed the light pink on Ruby's cheeks as she spoke. "We all keep an eye out for each other."

**'You're too late. She's moved on already.'**

Weiss' heart beat painfully for a moment.

_**'Don't jump to conclusions. Talk to her first.'** _

Weiss steadied herself and weakly smiled. In the dark, Ruby probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, but a tinge of sadness in Weiss' voice gave her away. "You go ahead. I'll head to bed in a bit."

The team leader frowned. "Are you ok?"

Weiss took a breath. "Just a lot on my mind. I'll tell you later, ok?"

Ruby pursed her lips. She really **was** looking out for everyone. "Promise?"

Weiss relaxed and gave her partner a much better smile. "Promise."

Ruby gave her a smile and headed back to bed. Weiss turned back toward the courtyard and watched her blonde friend go over the same simple video over and over again for another hour before he finally appeared to be exhausted. Whether that was physically, emotionally, or both, she wasn't sure. Either way, she decided to take her leave before he saw her. He probably wouldn't appreciate the attention, well meaning or not. Besides, she wasn't exactly dressed for a conversation with Jaune. Yang would have a field day if she found out.

As Jaune put his stuff away, he frowned as he caught a glint of moonlight reflecting off of white strands moving away from the door to the house. He sighed in frustration and closed his eyes.

_'Great. I have two people worrying about me now...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt that we needed to highlight how even Ruby with her optimistic attitude still has her down moments, and we get a little more insight into Jaune's depression. (I mean, dude has gotten really angry and bitter in these later volumes) And now Weiss is worried she just stumbled into a love triangle. Girl needs to make her move quick.
> 
> Didn't get as much done as I wanted, so the little thing with Jaune that was supposed to be a minor transition ended up being the end of the chapter. Didn't intend to make a cliffhanger there. Hopefully, *fingers crossed* I'll get the rest of the stuff done for next week. That chapter is 1/3 of the way done. (It was originally 1/2 done, but I need to add the stuff I didn't get done this week into next week.)
> 
> Comments are appreciated. I'm also open to constructive criticism. If there is something I can do to improve the writing or flow of the story, let me know. If things are disjointed or seem out of place, let me know. I do keep those things in mind when I'm writing.


	11. Figuring Yourself Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New day, old problems, and Weiss keeps a promise she made to herself. (With a little help, of course.)

The next morning, Weiss woke up amazingly well rested, considering she didn't get much sleep the night before. Her body must have decided the bed was **really** comfortable after spending so long sleeping in the dirt. Pulling on her pants and boots, she quickly put her hair up in her customary ponytail, sliding her tiara into place. After checking herself in the mirror, she made her way to the kitchen.

Passing through the living room, she saw Yang sitting on the couch half asleep. Weiss leaned on the back of the furniture and looked at her team mate. "Good morning."

Yang looked over with drowsy eyes and a smile. "Mornin' Princess."

Weiss rolled her eyes with a smile. _'Still not a morning person.'_

"You're never going to give up that nickname, are you?"

Yang grinned. "No **p** e."

The blonde girl yawned. "Hey, have you seen Ruby this morning? She wasn't in bed when I woke up."

Weiss shook her head. "I just woke up myself. Maybe she is outside?"

Yang nodded and hummed in acknowledgement. "I'll check there in a bit."

Weiss stood up and continued to the kitchen. "Coffee?"

Yang stretched. "Please."

Weiss nodded and searched through the cabinet until she found what she was looking for, getting the precious caffeine that was her lifeblood boiling in the machine.

Grabbing two mugs, she poured the steaming liquid in and got ready to bring one to her teammate.

_'How do you take your coffee?'_

_'Uh..I-I don't.'_

_'Answer the question.'_

_'Uhh!  Cream and five sugars!'_

Smiling to herself, Weiss grabbed a third mug and a tray, filling the third container with unhealthy amounts of dairy and sweetener and making her way outside, seeing the two sisters sitting together talking.

Ruby was looking at her sister. "What are you doing up?"

"Can't fall back asleep."

Ruby looked back down at her lap. "Eh, me neither."

Weiss frowned. _'Is she still thinking about Jaune?'_

**_'Stop worrying yourself.'_ **

Weiss shook those thoughts from her head and smiled at her good timing. "Well, fortunately..."

As the sisters looked back at her, she grinned. "...coffee exists."

Weiss walked around and knelt down, allowing Yang to take a cup. As she walked over to Ruby, the girl cringed away. "No, please!"

Weiss rolled her eyes with an amused smile.

_'You don't think I actually forgot your sugar addiction, did you?'_

"Don't worry. I put in blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar, just for you."

Ruby cheered while reaching for the mug. "Awww, yeah! Nice Weiss strikes again."

Weiss pulled the mug back out of reach. _'Don't act like I'm not usually nice.'_

"I will pour this on you and it **will** burn."

Ruby sheepishly took the mug and gave a nervous grin.

**'Yes, cowing her is certainly the best way to show her you are nice now.'**

_'Shut up. It's my job to keep her in check. I will not enable bad behavior just because I love her.'_

If Weiss was more like Ruby, she might have mentally stuck her tongue out at her subconscious, but that would be weird on **way** too many levels. She settled on a playful smirk that Ruby would no doubt take as her joking about pouring coffee on her...which she was...

**'Sure...'**

_'Shut up. It's true.'_

Before she could allow herself to get caught up in her own mind, Weiss sat down next to Ruby and picked her mug off the tray when Yang spoke up. "I can't believe we're actually in Mistral."

Ruby looked over at her sister in disbelief. " **That's** what you can't believe?"

Yang looked off to the side with a smile. "Well, yeah!....And all the other magic and stuff, but...Oh, You know what I mean."

Weiss smiled. _'I understand Yang. It's crazy we are here together.'_

She then frowned a bit. "I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever see you two again."

Yang held up her cup. "Well, here's to defying expectations."

As Weiss clinked mugs with Yang, she glanced back at Ruby drinking her coffee, not catching Weiss looking at her. _'I don't know what I was expecting, but I'm glad to be back together again.'_

As Weiss turned back to watch the rising sun, Ruby got a somber look on her face. "I just wish Blake could be here with us."

Weiss looked back at her friends with a frown. _'I wish Blake was here too. I hope Sun found her.'_

Yang spoke up next. Weiss was more than familiar with the sound of restrained bitterness in someone's voice, and Yang was mimicking that tone to a T. "Yeah, well, she made her choice."

The other two girls looked at each other in worry before Weiss leaned over to get a better look at Yang. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't you miss her?"

That same bitter tone continued to permeate Yang's voice. "Well, she **could** have been here if she just stuck around. It's no big deal though. We'll be fine."

While Weiss was getting the feeling she knew what was going on in Yang's head, Ruby was too innocent to understand Yang's attitude. "Don't you want her here?"

Yang just stared her sister down. "Why would I want her here?"

Ruby's next question confirmed Weiss' theory. "Are you...still mad at her for leaving?"

Yang's sarcasm was so thick in the air that even Ruby could recognize it. "Oh. Whatever gave you that idea, Ruby? No, I'm totally fine. I'm great."

As Yang looked away from them, Weiss had enough. "Yang, you're acting like the way I used to, and no one liked that. Let's just calm down-"

Yang's head swung back sharply at them, eyes red. "Don't tell me to calm down!"

Weiss instinctively shrunk back from the outburst before forcing herself to relax.

_'Dammit. Stupid Jacques traumatizing a child. I'm getting real tired of freaking out whenever someone starts yelling in anger...'_

Ruby leaned back a bit from her sister, more than used to that part of Yang. She wasn't scared. She was more worried for her sister, possibly even in disbelief at the outburst. "Whoa, Yang..."

The anger on Yang's face melted away almost instantly and Weiss was sure that she looked...sad...as her eyes returned to their lilac hue. At that Yang got up and walked away. "Whatever..."

Ruby started to get up to follow her sister when Weiss grabbed her hand. As the young leader looked back down, Weiss stood up. "Stay. You've been trying to help enough people. Let me handle this one. I think I know what is bothering her."

Ruby's grip on her hand tightened as the girl looked back toward the house. "You sure?"

Weiss looked back toward the house herself, mentally prepping herself for the conversation. "Give me ten minutes, ok?"

Weiss could see the indecision in Ruby's eyes, but eventually trust won out and the younger huntress smiled. "Ok."

She smiled at Ruby and gave her hand a squeeze before letting go and heading inside.

_'If Yang wanted to be alone...probably her bedroom...'_

Making her way down the hall, Weiss saw the door to Ruby and Yang's room was open just a crack, but the bright blonde hair of her teammate was easy to see. Giving the door a couple quick knocks, Weiss waited for a reply. Hearing Yang's "Yeah?", Weiss took that as permission to enter.

When she fully stepped into the room, Yang had her head hanging down, staring at the floor. "Look, Ruby, I really don't want to talk about it, ok? Can you just leave me alone for a bit?"

"Ruby might, but I'm a little more stubborn than her."

Yang quickly looked up to see Weiss with a sad frown. "Weiss?"

_**'Be here for her. You can't force Yang to talk. She'll come around. She can't stand silence and she wants to get this off her chest. Let her plead her case.'** _

Weiss didn't say a word as she shut the door and walked over to sit on Ruby's bed and watched her teammate. Eventually Yang sighed. "I know she's our teammate, but I'm not just going to change my mind."

_'I know you won't Yang. You don't forgive as easily as Ruby does.'_

"I'm sorry. I just...I don't think you know what it's like to be left."

_'Goodbye sister. Be strong.'_

_'Winter. Please don't go.'_

_'I have to. I'll write as often as I can.'_

_'Winter!'_

Weiss frowned. _'I know better than you think Yang...'_

Yang continued on, not privy to Weiss' inner thoughts. "You have a giant family. Recitals to perform at, dinner to attend...! I didn't have any of that. My mom..left me. Ruby's mom left too. Dad was always busy with school and Ruby couldn't even talk yet. **I** had to pick up the pieces. **I** had to be the mom. I never got to have a childhood. **I** had to keep things together...alone."

This was not going to be as easy as Weiss thought.

_'I know exactly what to say to show her I understand...but...do I want to reveal that?'_

**_'She shared her past. It's ok to share yours. You can trust her. Show her that the two of you aren't so different.'_ **

Yang looked over at her, interrupting her thoughts. "Weiss, if you have something to say, then say it."

Weiss took a deep breath while curling in on herself slightly. She had never told anyone this. It was going to be hard, but Yang needed this. Maybe getting this off her chest would give herself some comfort too.

Gathering her resolve, she opened her eyes and looked at her teammate.

"When I was ten, Jacques finally admitted to my mom that the only reason he married her was for the family name."

_'Too late to turn back now.'_

Letting out a huff, she continued. "It was actually...on my birthday. He missed the big dinner, not that any of my birthdays really meant anything to him. The company always came first. She got mad, and he finally snapped."

Yang sat there giving Weiss a pitying look. She had to turn away. She hated when people pitied her. "I think she already knew. It's probably the reason I even exist. If she thought he loved her, she probably wouldn't have cheated on him. Looking back...I think I always knew why he married her too. I was just to focused on making sure no one knew what I was."

Weiss folded her hands together to keep them from shaking as she got up and walked over to sit next to Yang. It hurt to relive this. "Hearing him say it though is what finally pushed her over the edge. It was the last straw and she couldn't lie to herself anymore. First is was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals."

She found herself gripping at air, wishing that she was wearing her skirt right now so she had something to grab onto. "A...glass of wine here, a glass of wine there. Then...it was no dinners, no recitals...a bottle of wine here and...well..you get the idea."

Yang finally turned to look at her. "I'm sorry. I...shouldn't have assumed..."

Weiss turned her head to look at her friend, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Yang...there is a reason I don't drink. A reason I hate drunks. A reason I'm not particularly fond of your uncle. I've seen what alcohol can do to people. I almost never see my mother anymore. I spent ten months at home, and never spoke one word to her. She never shows up to meals. She sits in the garden drinking nearly from the moment she wakes up until she passes out. I haven't seen her sober in years. She is a shell of the woman she used to be, and when Winter left for the military, it was just Jacques and my brother.  If it wasn't for Klein, my butler, I would have had no one."

Yang frowned. "I'm..sorry."

Weiss looked off across the room again. "You're right though. I don't know loneliness like you do. I have my own version."

She turned to look at Yang again. "I'll bet Blake has her own version too."

Yang looked down, like she was barely holding on. "She doesn't have to be alone though. I was here for her, we all were. She **chose** to leave us."

Weiss had a small smile on her face. She was pretty sure she had Blake figured out. "Put yourself in her shoes. Why do you think she left?"

Yang looked at her in confusion, so she continued. "Think about it. The entire time Blake was at Beacon, she was afraid to open up to anyone. She tried to keep her past away from us. She was trying to start over. She put up those walls to protect us."

Weiss gestured to her gills. "And believe me, I know a thing or two about having secrets and putting up walls."

Yang grinned....almost.

Weiss looked back down to the floor. "Eventually, those walls came down...and the moment they did, the thing she was scared of most, happened. The universe proved her right."

Yang's eyes followed Weiss' to her robotic arm. "Her past came back and hurt those closest to her."

Yang shook her head. "No one blamed her for anything though. If she had just talked to us, she would have known that! Instead she ran off...and Sun ran off to find her."

Weiss' brows furrowed. _'What does Sun have to do with anything?'_

Yang didn't notice the question in Weiss' eyes. "How could I be there for her if she doesn't let me?"

That was when Yang broke down sobbing with her head in her hands. "What if I needed her here for me?"

Weiss moved closer and put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "I know it's not easy. I wish she hadn't left too. The only thing we can do now is be there for her when she comes back."

Yang looked like she was trying to be angry, but she was still sobbing. " **If** she comes back."

Weiss squeezed her shoulder. "She will."

Pursing her lips, Weiss continued. "Yang...you, Ruby, and Blake are more like family to me than my brother or Jacques would ever be. I would do anything for you three, and I know that Blake feels the same way."

She looked off to the side. "So, when she comes back, I'm going to be there for her..."

Looking back at Yang, she smiled. "...And even though you make it a point to annoy me at every opportunity, I'll be here for you too. That is what real family does."

Yang grinned. "Your brother and father are really crappy, huh?"

Weiss frowned. "I haven't referred to Jacques as my father since I stood up to him and he disinherited me. He doesn't deserve the courtesy."

Yang chuckled. "Yep, **really** crappy."

Weiss chuckled back. "Honestly, even JNPR are better family than Jacques and Whitely are. I might even throw Sun in there for good measure."

Yang's slight grin slipped away to a sad frown. "Yeah, Sun...do you think he found Blake?"

Weiss frowned at the change of subject. "I don't know."

Yang pursed her lips. "I bet he did. He really liked her. I bet they are happy together..."

Weiss' eyes went wide. _'Ah crap. I just stumbled into a love triangle, didn't I?'_

**'Not that you don't have one of your own to deal with.'**

**_'Don't be so dramatic. You're fine. Help her.'_ **

"You love her, don't you?"

Yang froze in place for a moment, before relaxing with a sad chuckle. "Do you know how I convinced her to go to the dance?"

Weiss shook her head when Yang glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Yang took a breath. "I told her about how I almost got me and Ruby killed searching for my mom when we were kids. I was that desperate for answers, and I did something stupid and we almost died because I was obsessed."

Weiss was shocked. "Tha..that's horrible."

Yang sighed. "Yeah, but it taught me that I needed to be smarter. Not to quit looking, but at least don't let my search turn into an obsession. It got the message across to Blake that she needed to slow down and rest, or she wouldn't be able to do anything when she found answers."

Weiss furrowed her brows. "You...avoided my question..."

Yang glanced at her. "When I left, I told her that if she 'wanted to come out', I'd save her a dance."

Weiss' eyes went wide in disbelief. "You...let her know you were interested in her...with a pun?"

Yang let out a humorless chuckle. "You know I resort to humor when I'm nervous. Besides, I couldn't really ask her out. She was already going to the dance with Sun. I'm sure even you could tell that they liked each other. I wasn't going to let myself mess that up for them. At least I got to dance with them both..."

Yang looked down at the ground. "Even if those two dances are all I'll ever get."

Weiss sighed. _'Don't tell me...'_

"Sun too?"

Yang chuckled, this time with humor as she looked at Weiss. "Can you blame me? He's fun, and really hot. I mean, have you seen those abs?"

Weiss frowned. "I never really paid that close of attention."

Yang rolled her eyes with a renewed smile. "Well, I guess buff guys weren't really your thing. You did go after Jaune and Neptune, after all."

Weiss sighed. _'Well, she is teasing me now, so at least that means she's feeling better. I'll count that as a win.'_

"I was never 'going after' Jaune, and he **is** buff now, by the way."

Weiss could see the next question or possible tease in Yang's eyes, but luckily her savior arrived in the form of Ruby knocking on the door.

The younger girl poked her head into the room with a worried look on her face. "Is, uh, everything ok?"

Yang looked at Weiss for a moment, then back at her sister with a smile. "Yeah, it is."

Ruby let out a relieved sigh at that and gave Weiss a smile that just screamed gratitude. That look made Weiss smile.

**_'You still need to talk to her.'_ **

Weiss sighed to herself. _'I am so not ready for this. How do I explain my attraction to her is emotional, but not physical? I'm going to confuse her and I won't know how to make it clear.'_

_**'Well, you could always ask for advice. You've got someone right next to you that can help.'** _

Weiss' eyes widened. _'Of course! Yang is bisexual. She likes guys and girls equally. She can explain things to me.'_

Apparently **this** particular internal conversation was noticed by the sisters, because when Ruby called out to her, she noticed them both staring at her. "Weiss? Is everything ok? You spaced off again."

Weiss quickly nodded her head to alleviate their worry, but she was still fidgeting. "Yeah, just thinking about something. Hey, Ruby? I don't mean to seem rude, but can Yang and I have a few more minutes? I need to ask her about something."

Ruby looked back and forth between Weiss and Yang, looking worried. "Are you sure I can't help? You can always talk to me, you know?"

Weiss gave her a reassuring smile. "I know. I just need to ask her something. I'll tell you about it after I'm done. I promised, remember?"

Ruby bit her bottom lip in worry, but nodded. "I'll be in the kitchen with Ren helping make breakfast when you're done, ok?"

Weiss gave her a smile. "Thank you. This shouldn't take too long. I'll be there in a bit."

\-----

As Ruby closed the door, Yang looked at Weiss in confusion. "So, what's up Weiss?"

_'Why does she suddenly look so nervous and fidgety?'_

Weiss prepared herself best she could for the conversation she was about to have. _'This is going to be so embarrassing to ask.'_

**_'It will be fine. Ask.'_ **

"Yang...How did you...when..."

She took a breath to stop her rambling and tried to start over. "How did you find out you liked women as well as men?"

Yang blinked a couple times. "I'm not sure exactly how to explain that Weiss. Why do you ask?"

Weiss looked away as she blushed at what she was about to ask. "I mean...did you....'experiment'...or....?"

Yang interrupted, stopping Weiss in her tracks. "You know I've never actually...been with anyone...like that, right?"

Weiss looked back over at Yang, confusion on her face. "But you were always flirting and dancing and making eyes at half the students at Beacon."

Yang gave Weiss a disappointed look. "Did you assume I was a slut Weiss?"

Weiss' eyes went wide. "No! N-no. Of course not!"

Yang sighed. "Weiss, I flirt because it's fun, but it's usually harmless. When I do that it makes me feel like I'm close to people, but as long as that is all it is....just flirting....then it doesn't hurt when they leave. It only hurts when it's people I let myself get close to leave. If you haven't noticed, I kind of have some abandonment issues."

Weiss frowned. "I'm sorry I didn't fight harder to stay."

Yang got a kind look in her eyes. "It's ok, I understand. You had your issues too. You didn't choose to leave. You were forced. I was half out of it, but I saw you try."

The blonde grinned. "Come on. Let's not worry about that. We were talking about your dating life even though you've been on more dates than I have."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I've been on one date Yang, if it can even be counted as such. Jaune and I went to the dance as friends. Surely you've been on more than that."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Did you **ever** see me go on any dates at Beacon?"

The white haired Faunus pinched her brows in concentration. "No...I suppose not."

Yang frowned. "That is because I never have, let alone ever been with anyone. I was too scared to. Blake was the first person I was willing to take a chance with, and I was too late."

Weiss looked guilty. "Sorry. I shouldn't have....assumed. I never meant to imply you were...promiscuous. I just thought that you maybe...had **some** experience. "

Yang put a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "It's ok Weiss. I got that a lot, but one hundred percent virgin here."

Weiss blushed again. "Tha...that wasn't the part of relationships I was going to ask about."

Yang grinned, shrugging off her melancholy mood. "I figured. Ok, so who is the lucky girl that has you all hot and bothered?"

Weiss' mouth dropped open. "Yang! No one has me all 'hot and bothered'. I'm trying to figure out my feelings for someone and you are the only one that I could ask about this."

"So, it is a girl then?"

Weiss sighed. "Yes."

"You wanted to know how I knew I was bi, right?"

Weiss nodded.

Yang thought about it a bit. "Well, I guess in my case, I just always kind of knew. When some of the other girls would start talking about how cute some of the boys at school were, I agreed with them, but I also thought that about some of the girls in our class too. Dad has always been pretty open minded about that kind of stuff, so it was never an issue for us. I never really had to think about it. So, you are finding yourself attracted to a girl? Guys not as attractive as you thought before or you just noticing girls the same way too?"

Weiss sat there thinking for a moment.

_'Have I **ever** actually found a woman physically attractive? I mean, I was looking right at Germaine's rear end and legs and objectively, they were very nice, but even then, I didn't feel anything from the sight. Hell, have I ever found a man physically attractive? I mean, Neptune was cute, but did I actually find him...attractive?'_

She frowned. "I don't...think..I've ever found either one attractive, at least not..physically. I mean, I even tried 'checking out' a cute girl at a party once, but I felt...nothing."

Yang blinked for a moment, then seemed to understand. "Wow. That was pretty bold for you. So, what about Jaune, or Neptune? Why did you like them?"

Weiss pursed her lips. _'Bold is an understatement Yang. I stared at a girl's butt for at least a full minute trying to get a reaction from myself.'_   She was never telling anyone that mortifying experience. She would take that memory to her grave.

"Well, with Neptune, I thought he was cute and he was smart, and he had a way with words, and I thought that Jacques would like him. I honestly didn't give it much thought beyond that. As far as Jaune...well, it was never really about his looks. He isn't ugly by any means, but he is just kind of...average. Mostly it was that I trusted him with my secret after he found out, and he kept his word. He never used it to try and get anything out of me. I knew he had a good heart and I could trust him. Also, Ruby and Pyrrha both saw something in him that I didn't. I wanted to know what that was."

Yang's brows rose in question. "Ever find out?"

Weiss looked at Yang. "Yeah. Pyrrha saw that he had untapped potential and...the guy tries. He doesn't give up on people. More importantly, he treated her with respect. She wasn't a celebrity to him. She was just Pyrrha, his friend. That struck a cord with her."

Yang nodded. "Ok, yeah, makes sense. So, getting back on track...you've never thought about being physical with someone?"

Weiss shrugged. "Well, that depends on your definition of 'physical'. I enjoy the thought of hugging, holding hands, cuddling, maybe even kissing. All those things appeal to me, but beyond that, I don't have any...desires. Not like most my age would."

Yang looked over at the ex-heiress. "Ok, just so we are clear. You aren't talking about **me** , are you?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Objectively, yes, you are quite beautiful Yang, and I can see how people would be attracted to you, but I think we have just established that..."

Weiss made finger quotes around the word "...hotness..."

"...is not a deciding factor for me. You are a good friend Yang, but that is it."

Yang let out an exaggerated breath of relief, and then grinned. "Well, that is good. I'd hate to have to turn you down."

Weiss groaned. "Yang, I'm having an emotional crisis here. Could you please be serious? I love this girl, but I feel no physical attraction to her whatsoever. It's so confusing. That isn't right, is it?"

Yang's eyebrows rose high on her head. "You...love her? Like, **love** love her?"

Weiss groaned. "Yes, Yang. I ' **love** love' her." She rolled her eyes at the Nora-like wording Yang used. "I'm completely certain of that."

Yang took a breath. "Wow. Ok, ok. So, I think I got this. You are probably asexual. Maybe demisexual, or something along those lines. I mean, if you don't find **me** irresistible, you obviously aren't gay."

Weiss groaned yet again.

Yang grinned. "Kidding, kidding. In the most basic terms, asexual means you don't have a sexual attraction to another person. Doesn't mean you won't like sex or have a libido or anything, just that your aren't physically attracted to anyone. Demisexual means you only become sexually attracted to someone you are emotionally into already. It's obviously more complicated than that, but that is the basics. You probably fall into one of those two camps."

Weiss' brows pinched in concentration. "That is a real thing? You can just... **not**..be physically attracted to **anyone**...ever?"

Yang looked surprised. "Yeah, there are lots of different kinds of sexuality. What did you think your options were?"

Weiss looked sheepish. "Straight, gay, and bisexual?"

Yang gave her that 'mom look' that she did when she was taking care of the team. "Oh, Weiss. You really have been sheltered, haven't you?"

Weiss glared at her. "Atlas isn't exactly the most open-minded Kingdom, you know. Especially among the upper class."

The look didn't even faze Yang. "There are a ton of ways to describe how you are attracted to people. It would take me all day to describe them to you though, so let's just concentrate on asexual. That is probably what you would identify as."

Weiss' face softened to a thoughtful look and she nodded. "That seems...appropriate. I definitely don't have sexual thoughts about them...or anyone for that matter. I haven't come across anything that 'turns me on'."

Yang smiled. "Ok, so if the attraction to this mystery woman isn't physical, then what are you attracted to?"

Weiss looked down at the floor with a small smile.

"Well, I think it is more of an emotional attraction than anything else. Well, that is obvious in hindsight. Anyway...she is cute, but more importantly, she makes me feel safe. I feel..loved...and wanted."

Weiss put a hand to her chest.

"When I think about her, I get a pleasant little feeling, right here. She makes me smile. I'm not Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC to her...or ex-heirress I guess. I'm just Weiss. I don't have to hide who I am around her. I can be me. Even when she act's childish, I can't help but smile. She is talented, and strong, and never gives up on people. She is the kind of person I wish I could be. The kind of person I aspire to be."

Yang chuckled. "Heh, that sounds like Ruby."

"..."

The silience in the room was deafening. Yang blinked.

_'No way...'_

She looked at Weiss. The white haired woman was very deliberately **not** making eye contact with her.

"Really?"

Weiss flinched, then nodded.

Yang rubbed the back of her neck. "Wow, Weiss. I'm not even sure what to say to that. I mean, I'll spare you the whole 'hurt her and I'll end you.' thing because I actually trust you, but I don't know if Ruby would be interested. I mean, at the dance, she even said she wasn't into any-"

"She kissed me."

It took a couple seconds before Yang processed the words Weiss just said. "She...kissed you?"

Weiss took a breath. "The night Beacon fell. I'm sure Ruby told you what happened at the tower, but right before she ran up the tower, she kissed me. She said she wanted to do it at least once in case she didn't make it."

She shook her head, white hair whipping around.  "I've spent more than a few hours trying to figure things out myself back at the manor. It may have just been a spur of the moment thing and I was the only one there, but I'm pretty sure she likes me. What I am..or rather **was**..having trouble with was figuring myself out. I needed to get my own feelings in order before I even attempted to talk to her about any of this. As you can imagine, I didn't have many people I could talk to in Atlas about this. Germaine helped me a little, but she was just as confused as I was."

Yang gave her a confused look. "Who's Germaine?"

Weiss looked away. "She was the girl I was 'checking out'. She is gay, but she can't be open about it since she is an heiress. We talked for a bit, but she is among the 'elite' too, so she was just as ignorant as me."

Yang huffed out a breath. "Wow...well, I can see why you came to me. If it makes you feel any better, I approve of you dating Ruby."

Weiss looked up at the blonde.

"You..approve?"

Yang chuckled. "Don't be so surprised princess. I know you. I know I can trust you. Heck, I'd approve of probably any of our friends at this point, but you especially. I know you aren't interested in anything overly physical, so you won't push Ruby into anything. I also know you are too stubborn to let her do that to you either. Just do me a favor."

Weiss gave her a questioning look. "What is it?"

Yang gave her a soft smile. "If she **is** interested, make sure you take care of each other."

Weiss nodded as she stood up and headed for the door. "Of course."

As she grasped the doorknob, Yang spoke up once more. "Hey, Weiss?"

The ex-heiress looked over her shoulder and Yang grinned. "Welcome to the family."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but gave the blonde a smile before heading out.

\-----

Weiss made her way down the hall. As she passed by a bathroom, she went and checked herself in the mirror.

_'Gotta look my best for this. Hair? Perfect. Clothes? Almost perfect. Maybe I should clean my corset and get my jacket....'_

_**'You're stalling.'** _

Weiss groaned, realizing that stalling was exactly what she was doing. _'Stupid brain...'_

**_'You stunk from sitting in a bandit camp for a month and she didn't care, AND she already saw you this morning. Just go.'_ **

Weiss let out a sigh as she brushed non-existent dust from her pants and straightened her tank-top, gills on full display through the side panels cut in the fabric. If Ruby was going to accept her, she needed to remember exactly what she was committing to. With a determined nod, she made her way toward the kitchen.

As she made her way down the hall, the smell of eggs and pancake batter filled the air. What also filled the air was the sound of laughter. After hearing from Ruby last night about how everyone was still struggling in one way or another, the sounds of true laughter brought a smile to her face.

As she walked into the room, her smile slipped a bit. Ren was at the stove cooking next to Nora, but what caught her eye was Ruby and Jaune standing next to each other mixing ingredients for the duo at the stove. They were laughing and occasionally bumping hips together playfully trying to knock each other out of the way.

**'It's obvious there is something there.'**

_'This was a mistake. I should at least wait and see if they are already-'_

**_'Talk. To. Her.'_ **

Mustering up all the confidence she could and making sure her voice was steady, Weiss called out. "Good morning everyone."

Ren and Nora looked over their shoulders, Ren giving her a smile and Nora a cheery salute. "Mornin'."

Jaune and Ruby though, both turned around fully. Jaune gave her a polite smile. "Morning Weiss. You look nice today."

Weiss was caught off guard by the comment, her mind fully on her upcoming conversation with Ruby. It was a nice distraction though, so she silently thanked Jaune, then decided it was probably better to do so out loud. Giving him a polite smile in return, she nodded. "Thank you."

Ruby also gave her a smile. "Done talking with Yang?"

Aaaaannnddd now she was worrying about her conversation with Ruby again. Weiss held onto one of her arms and glanced away. "Yeah. Um...hey Ruby? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Everyone in the room noticed the shift in Weiss' tone and posture and glanced at her. Ruby looked a little worried and glanced at the others. Jaune set his ingredients down and gently took her's as he nodded his head in Weiss' direction, giving Ruby an encouraging smile. "Go on. We got this covered."

Ruby nodded and walked over to Weiss, the two departing the room side by side. "Is something wrong Weiss?"

Weiss stuttered. "Yes...no...I don't think so..."

Taking a breath to steady herself, she started again. "I've had a lot on my mind lately, and I'm ready to talk about it...if you have time."

Ruby looked worried about Weiss' response, but gave her an encouraging smile. "Of course. I've always got time for you."

Weiss smiled at that and led Ruby to the living room, taking a seat on the couch. When Ruby sat down next to her, Weiss took a breath.

_'How do I even start this?'_

She was startled when she felt a hand clasp around her own. She looked up to see Ruby giving her an encouraging smile. "Take your time."

_'Better start with figuring out if I even have a chance.'_

"Ruby...do you like Jaune?"

Ruby was apparently **completely** unprepared for a question like that and froze in confusion. "Wha...what?"

Weiss took a breath. "I just...noticed you two are kind of...close...."

Ruby shook her head, but Weiss noticed the slight pink in her cheeks. "We all just look out for each other."

Weiss took another breath, keeping her voice steady. "So...you two aren't...together?"

Ruby shook her head again, but Weiss noticed the blush didn't go away. If anything, it got more pronounced. "No, we aren't, so if..ya know...you want to try again with him, I get it. I don't know if he would be up for that yet, but it might make him happy...but shouldn't you be asking him about this? I mean, you're my best friend so I appreciate that you trust me enough to ask about this, but is this what has had you so worried?"

Weiss had to take a second for her brain to catch up. Her partner was making assumptions in the exact opposite direction of what she intended. "Ruby, you misunderstand. I've had something else on my mind.  This isn't really about Jaune. Not exactly."

Ruby looked thoroughly confused. "It's....not?"

She shook her head. "What I wanted to talk about...was what happened during The Fall. Specifically...about what happened right before you ran up Beacon Tower."

Weiss watched as realization washed over Ruby's face and suddenly her leader was the same nervous girl that used to be afraid of Weiss yelling at her. She was fidgeting with her cloak and avoiding eye contact.  "I uh...I'm sorry Weiss I didn't mean to freak you out or make you uncomfortable and I was kind of hoping you'd forget about that and I should have talked to you first but I was scared and..."

"Ruby."

Said girl stopped her rambling and looked at Weiss, nervous as ever. Weiss tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice, but she was still shaky herself. "Why did you kiss me that night?"

Ruby fidgeted with her cloak some more. "Well...you're really pretty and smart and nice and talented and I like you, but I wasn't sure if I **liked you** liked you or not but after you saved me at the docks it felt like a kiss and I had never kissed anyone before and I didn't know what would happen to me and if I didn't make it I wanted to know if my feelings were real and if so I wanted you to know too."

Weiss was near breathless when she asked. "So...do you?"

Ruby finally looked at her again, eyes showing her confusion. "What?"

Weiss took a breath. She was too nervous to be bothered by the weird way she was going to ask this. "Do you...like me? **Like me** like me?"

Ruby shut her eyes and nodded her head.

Weiss let out a relieved breath. "That's good."

Ruby's eyes slowly opened and she looked at Weiss in confusion. "You...aren't mad that I kissed you?"

Weiss shook her head and a smile graced her lips. "Of course not."

When Ruby still didn't seem to put the pieces together, Weiss sighed.

_'Come on you dolt. You're smarter than this.'_

"Ruby, I've been going over this in my head on and off for the last seven months. Trying to sort my feelings. I've also done some...quite frankly...embarrassing things trying to figure myself out..."

Ruby gave her a quizzical look.

"...that I will **not** be talking about, so don't ask."

Ruby nodded.

Weiss sighed. "The point is, I think I know who I am now, and even if I'm not **entirely** sure if I am correct, what I **am** sure about is what I want, and how I feel."

She took Ruby's hands in her own and looked her in the eye. "I have feelings for you, strong ones, and I want to be with you, if you'll have me."

Ruby looked confused and maybe a bit sad. "But...earlier...you said you liked boys."

_'Ah...so that is why she is so confused...'_

Weiss let go of one of her hands and held up a finger. "I said I wasn't gay, not that I was opposed to dating girls. Big difference."

Ruby looked up. Her eyes held just a little bit of hope in them.

_'That is a good sign.'_

"You're bisexual? Like Yang?"

Weiss pursed her lips. She finally had a name to describe her feelings. It made things...easier to process. Easier to talk about. It was time to do that. "No. When I was talking to Yang, she explained a few things to me, and I'm fairly certain I'm asexual, which is...something that I didn't know actually existed until speaking with her."

Weiss decided to give Ruby a little time to process that information. She might even need to explain what asexual was to her, even if her own knowledge was lacking on that front. That proved unnecessary as Ruby immediately perked up. "Oh! Like me!"

Weiss blinked. "Like...you?"

Ruby's smiled at her. "Yeah. I mean, I was always focused more on killing Grimm, but after seeing Jaune and Pyrrha together, and now Nora and Ren...I kinda wanna know what romance is like. I just don't really like all that physical stuff. All that... _doin' the do_...kinda grosses me out."

Ruby shuddered at the thought, then smiled again. "Just give me someone that likes to cuddle and maybe kiss once in a while and I'm happy."

Weiss mentally face-palmed herself.

_'Of course Ruby knows what asexual is. Her sister is openly bisexual and their family is very open minded.'_

_**'And all she wants are cuddles and kisses, just like you.'** _

Weiss smiled. "I can do that."

Ruby looked off to the side, cheeks flushed red. "So...does this mean we are...together?"

Weiss took her free hand and hooked a finger on the side of Ruby's chin, turning the younger girl's head so that their eyes met. She had to be sure that Ruby truly wanted this as much as she did. "Do you want to be?"

Ruby's eyes never left her own and her lips parted slightly like she was in awe, but her head bobbed up and down quickly in affirmation.

Weiss smiled as she leaned forward and placed a slow, chaste kiss on Ruby's lips. As she pulled back, Ruby sat there with her eyes closed and a look of pure contentment on her face. "Nothing would make me happier."

When Weiss said those words, she had to stop herself from giggling as the dopiest grin she had ever seen appeared on Ruby's face.

_'I love you.'_

"I love you."

Weiss' eyes went wide the same time Ruby's snapped open as she realized she said that out loud.

_'Crap! Too soon! MUCH too soon!'_

Weiss quickly tried to cover her slip. " **Like** you! **Like** you a whole lot! I really li-"

"Weiss..."

As the white haired Faunus focused on her partner, she was surprised to see not confusion, or fear, or anything else she expected. Ruby had a smile. Before she could react, the redhead quickly leaned in and gave her a peck on the nose.

Weiss' brain screeched to a halt as Ruby pulled back grinning. "I love you too."

The only confirmation Ruby had that Weiss heard her was how the Faunus' face started turning **very** red. Ruby had to resist the urge to fist pump and whisper "yesssss" to herself, electing to let go of Weiss' hand and hold her arms open as she leaned back in obvious invitation.

Weiss slowly leaned in and got comfortable, snuggling up to Ruby and placing her head on her leader's shoulder. As she let out a breath, her face slowly returned to its normal color and she smiled as Ruby wrapped her arms around her. "I could get used to this."

Ruby chuckled. "You know Nora is going to freak when she finds out, right?"

Weiss huffed, but the tone of her voice was playful. "Why do you think I'm not in a rush to go tell everyone? I want to enjoy this quietly for a bit."

Ruby giggled and Weiss smiled, tilting her head up to kiss Ruby on the cheek once more before settling back down.

Weiss had just laid her head back down when both girls looked up upon hearing an excited gasp and saw Nora standing in the doorway with wide eyes and her hands covering her mouth. Ren was standing behind her with a plate of pancakes in his hand. Apparently it was time for breakfast. What was now going to be a very **awkward** breakfast.

The newly minted couple closed their eyes and sighed, both girls speaking their mutual thought at that moment.

"Crap..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go WhiteRose shippers. We finally got here. Angst, drama, feels, and fluff all in one chapter. We also get some confirmation on Yang's feelings in this story. (I've hinted at it a few times throughout the story that Yang has a thing for both Sun and Blake.)
> 
> Now that we are here, I'm gonna explain the sexuality that I've chosen for a few characters. (Just so people that are keen on ships can keep track.)  
> Ruby is asexual and slightly sex-repulsed.  
> Weiss is asexual and demiromantic.  
> Yang is bisexual.  
> Nora and Ren are both straight.  
> Jaune is straight.  
> Sun is straight.  
> Illia hasn't appeared yet, but she is lesbian (I'm not messing with canon on that one.)  
> Scarlet is gay in this story (Some of the makers of the manga and some of the crew that make the show hinted that he is and a few scenes in the show back that up, so I'm going with that if he ever makes a reappearance)
> 
> I haven't fully decided on Sage, Blake, Neptune or Oscar's sexuality. (Although it is not applicable, Pyrrha was also straight)
> 
> Final notes: The battle of Haven is coming up soon, so there is a good chance that after next week there may not be a chapter for a week or two. (We will see how well it comes together as I start writing it. It will probably end up being a two-parter. Just a heads up for the readers.)
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated and welcome. Tell me what you think.


	12. Fun and Games and...Psychoanalysis?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training, games, and...dates? (With maybe a touch of worrying about your friends.)

Breakfast was not **as** awkward as expected, but still pretty embarrassing for the new couple. Ren and Jaune congratulated them, along with Yang teasing Ruby about 'melting the Ice Queen's heart'. Weiss couldn't even be mad at her for the joke. It **was** the truth after all.

Nora on the other hand, did exactly as Ruby predicted. She freaked out, asking questions faster than they could be answered and was seemingly more excited about their relationship than they were. Ruby was as red as her cloak and trying to disappear into her chair the more Nora spoke. Weiss handled it a little better. Her face was still pink, but she wasn't trying to disappear like her girlfriend. It took a combined effort of Ren and Jaune to calm Nora down enough for the girls to explain how they ended up together.

Weiss relayed the incident at the tower where Ruby confessed to her with a kiss. That caused an unfortunate reaction from Jaune, who excused himself from the table. Weiss instantly realized what she said wrong and tried to apologize to him, but he waved her off, stating he just needed to go get a drink. To everyone's relief, he returned a little bit later, seemingly no worse for wear. By then, Weiss had relayed her time in Atlas and her trying to come to terms with her own feelings. She made a point of not talking about the incident with Germaine, and staring down Yang when it seemed like the blonde woman was going to mention what Weiss had said about the purple haired girl.

For Ruby, it was the incident at the docks where Weiss gave her air underwater. That illicited a joke from Yang about both of them making it to first base before their first date. Of course, that made the brunette of the duo gasp, and, in true Ruby fashion, ask Weiss to go out with her. Ruby could never really 'sound fancy' as she put it, but it didn't stop her from trying. It was just cute and awkward enough to elicit a blush from Weiss, but she happily accepted.

That prompted Nora to declare that 'date shopping' needed to happen immediately.

Weiss held up her hand quickly. "Nora, that really isn't necessary."

Nora gasped as she stared at Weiss in disbelief. "Of course it is! This is your first date as a couple! It needs to be special!"

Ruby herself was still red in the face and stuttering. "I...wel...um...uh..."

Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Relax sis. I got you covered. Just leave this to me and Nora."

Before either Weiss or Ruby could protest, Nora was dragging Yang and a slightly confused Ren out the door.

The three remaining members of the group just stared at the door as it slammed shut. Eventually Jaune spoke up. "So...that happened."

The two girls looked at him with blank stares, still dumbfounded about what just occurred. The blonde boy watched them for a moment before starting to get uncomfortable, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and inching his way away from the table. "Ok...that's kinda creepy...so..I'm just..gonna go train..."

That apparently got Ruby's mind to reboot and she perked up with a nervous laugh and smile that practically screamed 'let's talk about literally anything else besides what just happened'. "Yes! Training! Training is good! Let's go train!"

Ruby's exclamation brought Weiss out of her fog as well, and she blinked. The word 'training' seemingly being the only word she heard. "Yeah, training is good. I need to rebuild what I lost over the last month."

\-----

When the two girls got outside after retrieving their weapons from their rooms, they saw Jaune sitting on the ground cross legged with his eyes closed. When Weiss gave Ruby a questioning look, the brunette motioned her out further into the courtyard, so as not to disturb the man. "Meditation. He's been trying to work on his aura control and hopefully unlock his semblance."

Weiss nodded. "Any luck so far?"

Ruby glance back at Jaune. "Aura control, yes. Semblance...not so much."

She then turned back to Weiss with a big grin. "Ok, come on! I wanna see all these cool new things you learned! Give me your best!"

Weiss smirked. "Ok, but remember, you asked for it."

As the two girls proceeded to try and one up each other on the battlefield, Jaune felt more than heard someone sit down next to him. He opened his eyes and looked over to see Oscar watching the partners spar.

"Hey Oscar."

Oscar looked at him. "Morning Jaune. How's the meditation thing going?"

Jaune shrugged dejectedly. "Same as usual. Little bit of progress, no semblance."

Oscar frowned. "Yeah. I know what you mean."

The farm boy looked out at the girls. "They look like they're having fun."

Jaune chuckled as he followed Oscar's gaze. Weiss and Ruby were leaping and lunging at each other all over the courtyard. Ruby even seemed to be winning. Weiss wasn't using her Dust, and Ruby wasn't wasting ammo, but both girls were making full use of their semblances. At one point, Weiss got enough space between them to summon a Beowulf. Ruby was so excited about it that she didn't even take the opening to attack. Despite how hard they were fighting, both girls had huge grins on their faces.

Weiss actually climbed on the Grimm's back and charged at Ruby like a knight. Ruby got a smirk on her face and waited for the charge, taking out the Grimm in a single swing. Weiss was expecting that though and summoned glyphs behind herself and Ruby, leaping off before the Grimm was struck and then off of the glyph that was behind her, using it to springboard at her partner.

_'Ruby will block the strike and I'll use her weapon to springboard to the other glyph and catch her by surprise from the back.'_

Ruby instead surprised her partner, dodging the strike by leaping up to the glyph herself, leaving Weiss the surprised one with her rapier stuck in the ground. As she looked up, all she saw was Ruby's grinning face as she was tackled to the ground by the laughing girl. When the dust settled, Ruby was sitting up straddling Weiss' waist with her arms in the air. "I win!"

Weiss laid there on the ground breathing heavy and stunned by the sudden loss, then smiled at the sight of Ruby's happy face.

_'Wow...she has gotten a lot better. I really need to step up if I'm going to keep up with her.'_

The smile turned into a giggle, then full blown laughter as both huntresses started laughing at the sheer joy of being able to spar together again. Oscar had a grin on his face. "She's really something, huh?"

Jaune sighed with a tone that sounded almost envious. "They both are."

He then got a content smile on his face. "They are good together."

Oscar kept looking at them. "They weren't always that close though."

When Jaune gave him a questioning look, Oscar tapped his head with a finger. "Shared memories."

Jaune's eyebrows rose up. "You can see Ozpin's memories?"

Oscar rocked his head from side to side a couple times. "Sometimes. Ozpin is...like...really old. There are a lot of memories, and it's kind of like...trying to remember something from when you were a kid. There are some that are easy because they were big events, but minor things not so much. Things don't usually just...come to mind, ya know? I have to know what to look for to actually see it."

The farm boy frowned. "Like...I could describe the inside of Ozpin's or Lionheart's offices to you, even though I've never seen them before."

He looked at Jaune and grinned. "I can also recall Beacon's initiation test. Ruby and Weiss really didn't get along then. You had a rough time too from what I can tell from the videos Ozpin was watching."

When Jaune grimaced, Oscar laughed. "Well, you're definitely better now, that is for sure."

Jaune huffed out a breath. "Yeah, yeah..."

Oscar looked back at the two girls in the courtyard. They were no longer sparring. Rather, Ruby was snuggling a tiny dog sized Beowulf summon while Weiss smiled fondly at her. "So, they are dating now, I hear?"

Jaune nodded.

Oscar scrunched his brow. "Is it normal for partners to end up dating?"

Jaune was confused by that question for a moment, until he really thought about it.

_'Ruby and Weiss. Me and Pyrrha. Ren and Nora.'_

"No, but I guess our teams kind of make it look that way, huh? It kind of makes sense though. Your partner usually ends up being the person you trust the most. You protect each..oth..er.."

Even without Ozpin's memories, Oscar was more than aware of Jaune's late partner and how the blonde man felt about what happened to her. He quickly tried to change the subject. "Well, that is good. If I was ever on a team, it would be kind of hard for me to date someone with a thousand year old person living in my head."

Luckily for Oscar, that derailed Jaune's train of thought. The blonde man instead looked over at him. "How do you deal with that?"

Oscar shrugged. "Well, my choices were to ignore a voice in my head my entire life, or try and help the save the world, and as terrified as I am about...well...everything, it just feels like the right thing to do, ya know?"

Jaune thought about that for a moment, then got a wry grin. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Oscar tilted his head to the side for a moment and Jaune knew Ozpin was speaking to him. Eventually, the farm boy refocused and stood up. "Ozpin needs to talk to Qrow. I'll see you guys later."

As Jaune waved goodbye, he turned his head when his name was called. An excited Ruby was waving at him with Weiss shaking her head at her partner with an amused smile. "Jaune! Come spar with us!"

Oscar watched from the door for a moment as Jaune got up with an amused grin and walked out to join the two ladies in the courtyard before he continued inside to find Qrow.

_"You handled that conversation with Mr. Arc quite well."_

Oscar shrugged. "He just needs support until he heals from his loss."

_"Like you and the budding attraction you had for Miss Rose?"_

Oscar gave a resigned grin. "Key word is 'had'. Never would have worked out anyway. Like I told him, hard to date someone when their old professor is living in your head. I'll get over it. Not the first time I've had a crush anyway. Besides...need to save the world first, right?"

_"Hmmmm....indeed."_

\-----

Four hours, three showers, and one large lunch later, four youths were sitting around the coffee table playing Remnant: The Game to enjoy a lazy afternoon. Well...as lazy as it can be with two team leaders excitedly facing off against each other as a white haired Faunus and hazel eyed farm boy watched with amused smiles, both having been knocked out of the game fairly quickly.

_"If you had waited one more turn, you could have countered Mr. Arc's trap card."_

Oscar grumbled. "Yeah, yeah.."

Weiss glanced at him. "Ozpin poking fun at you for attacking too early?"

Oscar glanced at her with a pout. "Yes..."

Weiss giggled. "Don't worry. I'm not very good at this either, but it's fun to spend time with friends.

Oscar smiled at her right before Ruby started yelling. "You fiend! How did you manage to stack that many bonuses together!?"

The other two looked at Jaune's smug face and Ruby launched herself into Weiss' lap, hugging her. If Ruby exaggerated any more, she could work as an actress instead of a huntress. "Weiss! He countered my counter!"

Weiss rolled her eyes with a grin. "Oh, don't be such a drama queen. Wasn't Jaune your team strategist for almost a year?"

Ruby pouted at her girlfriend. "Stop taking his side."

Weiss gave Ruby a kiss on the cheek, causing the brunette to blush. "Better?"

Ruby stuck her tongue out at Weiss, but quickly retracted it and leaned back with wide eyes when Weiss nipped at her with her teeth.

The white haired girl gave Ruby a smirk. "Don't tempt a shark."

Everyone at the table broke down into giggles for a few moments until the door of the house swung open, announcing the return of the shoppers.

Nora was the first one in the door. "Alright love birds! Let's get you ready for a night on the town!"

Weiss stared at Nora while Ruby's face suddenly drained of color. "Wait....tonight?"

Yang walked in next. "Of course! What better time than today?"

Ruby looked at Weiss, then slowly got off her lap and stood next to the table, talking with a confidence she didn't really feel. "Yeah...that's perfect. Totally ready! Yep! Totally ready to go on my...first...date with...Weiss..."

With that, Ruby disappeared in a cloud of rose petals and the slamming of a distant bedroom door was heard over the sounds of Yang's laughter.

Next was Nora pointing at Weiss. "And **you** missy!"

Weiss blinked in surprise at the excited hammer wielder.

Nora had a huge grin on her face. "You go get changed into that cute blue dress you brought."

She turned and pointed at Jaune. "You! You used to braid hair with your sisters. Do you remember how?"

Jaune gulped at the intensity in Nora's eyes, then nodded. "I'm probably a little rusty, but yeah..."

Nora's smile got bigger. "Perfect! You are going to help do Weiss' hair!"

Jaune went wide eyed, looking at Weiss as her eyes met his. "Um...are you..ok with that?"

Weiss glanced at Nora's face, then back at the blonde haired man. Luckily for her, she was ok with it, because she was pretty sure that even if she **wasn't** , neither of them had a choice in the matter. Adopting a more regal posture, she tried to regain some sort of control of the situation, or at least the illusion of control. "Yes Jaune, that will be fine. I have no issue. Now, if you will all excuse me, I need to go change for..my....date..."

Weiss stood up and calmly walked from the room, the sounds of her booted feet slowly picking up speed as they got further away. By the time the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut behind her reached them, the steps had turned into a full sprint.

Nora and Yang just laughed. Oscar watched them with worry...especially upon hearing Ozpin's amused chuckle in his head.

\-----

Twenty minutes later, Nora and Jaune were witness to a sight they never thought they'd see: a nervious Weiss Schnee.

The white haired girl was a wreck. "I spent most of my time avoiding dates. Everyone just wanted my money or a connection to my family. This is the first time I've been asked out by someone that I **wanted** to go out with."

Nora looked over at her as Jaune gently led her by the shoulders to the chair in front of the mirror. "What about the dance?"

Jaune was picking up a brush and pointed it at Nora. "Technically, she asked me to the dance. Besides, that was as friends. I'm not sure that counts as a date."

Nora gave him a look. "That still counts. A friend date is still a date. Besides, you were still crushing hard on her then."

Jaune blushed a bit at Nora's comment, but rolled his eyes, not bothering to argue. Arguing with Nora was a lost cause unless you were Ren. "Nora, can we **not** talk about my crush on Weiss while we are helping her get ready for a date with Ruby? That's just weird."

Nora looked sheepish. "Sorry Weiss. Old news."

Weiss had never thought of it in those terms before. _'I suppose it **was** a date. I guess I do have one up on Yang after all...'_

That knowledge didn't do much to calm Weiss though and she sat there nerviously tapping her foot, waving off Nora's apology. "I mean...I've never been on an actual **romantic** date before. I don't really know what to do. If I was back in Atlas, I'd know what would be  **expected** of me, but Ruby isn't some snooty suitor in Atlas. We actually care about each other. I don't want to screw this up."

Jaune ran his fingers through her hair, combing it out as he got it ready to braid. The gesture felt nice and calmed her nerves as she relaxed under the ministrations. She was reminded of another time she was nervous and another person had done the same thing for her. She was going on a date with that person.

The blonde man hummed and caught her eyes in the mirror with a lopsided grin as he worked. "Well, I've never been very good with the whole 'romance' thing..."

She rolled her eyes with a smile as he ironically brought up the subject he just told Nora to not talk about, the two remembering all his failed attempts at flirting with her back at Beacon. His expression changed slightly, his smile a little sadder as his gaze seemed far away. "...but I know what it is like to fall in love with someone you've spent so much time with."

Weiss caught sight of Nora in the mirror. She was looking at her leader with a sad smile of her own.

_'I hope Ren and Nora can help him.'_

The man seemed to shake himself of whatever thoughts were in his head and he smiled as he met her eyes in the mirror again. His encouraging smile looked a bit forced though, like he didn't want to bring down the mood with his own problems. For his sake, neither girl said anything as he continued. "Nothing really changes that much. You are both the same people. Just think of it as hanging out with your best friend...but...you know...better, because you love each other. Everything just feels...better."

Weiss took a breath to calm herself. "Like hanging out with my best friend...yeah..."

The three settled into a comfortable silence after that, with Nora sorting through the things she bought as she looked for the right hair accessories to go with Weiss' dress, handing them to Jaune as needed. Jaune continued braiding her hair, his face relaxing as he concentrated on his work. Weiss herself closed her eyes and relaxed into her chair, a smile gracing her face as they worked.

\-----

**Meanwhile...**

"Yaaaaannng!"

Yang look up in amusement at her sister as she shut the door. Ruby was the sister that never really cared about how she looked. As long as she had her cloak, she'd wear just about anything and not care what others thought.

That same girl was now standing with wide, terrified eyes in their shared bedroom, carrying every outfit she owned since leaving home. "Where have you been!? I need help! I don't know what to wear for my date! I don't want to screw up!"

"Yang shook her head with a grin. "Sis, you could show up in your pajamas and she'd still think you were beautiful. You'll be fine."

Ruby pouted. "Yaaaaang! This is Weiss. She is all fancy with dresses and jewelry. I need to look **good**!"

A blonde eyebrow rose. "Ruby...have you seen what Weiss wears these days? She isn't about fancy dresses anymore. She's all about tank tops and skin tight pants."

Ruby mumbled. "She said it was for swimming..."

Yang grinned. "And I'm sure that is true, but you have to admit they make her legs and butt look really good."

Ruby gaped and went red. "Yang! Stop oogling my girlfriend!"

Yang laughed...loud. "Don't worry sis. I'm not undressing Ice Queen with my eyes, but you need to calm down. You'll be fine."

Ruby pouted again. "That wasn't funny..."

Yang gave her sister a smug smile. "Got you to stop freaking out though, didn't it?"

Ruby stuck her tongue out.

Yang grinned. "Luckily for you, I took the liberty of going out and getting you a dress for your date."

Ruby went wide eyed. "I'm not the same size I was back at Beacon. I've grown up in the last year."

Yang rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well, duh. Give me a little credit. I checked your new clothes for your measurements. The dress will fit fine...aaaannnndd...."

Yang held up a pair of girly black shoes and Ruby cringed. "No! Yang! I told you I hate lady st..."

Yang turned the shoes to the side and Ruby stared. "...flats..."

Yang somehow looked more smug. "You didn't think I'd make you walk halfway across Mistral in heels, did you? Besides...flats go better with the dress anyway."

As Yang opened the dress bag Ruby's eyes went wide and Yang was suddenly on the floor, tackled in a semblance fueled hug by an ecstatic Ruby. "Oh Yang! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Yang just chuckled. "Anything for you sis."

\-----

Sometime later, there was a knock on Weiss' door. Nora opened it to see Yang standing in the hall. "Is Ice Queen ready? Rubes is getting antsy."

Nora opened the door further and let Yang into the room. Yang herself froze in her tracks at what she saw. When Weiss looked over at her, Yang's mouth went dry. _'Holy shit sis...you're a damn lucky girl.'_  
Weiss was sitting there in the blue dress she had been wearing the night before, opting for the white jacket with the smaller Schnee symbol on it as opposed to the gaudy blue one filled with jewels that had her family crest taking up most of the back. There was no point in announcing herself to everyone in sight, after all.

The biggest change was the... **elaborate**...braids over her head and running down her back, threaded through with blue ribbon. Jaune was doing some last minute adjustments to the look, but it appeared that he was basically done.

_'A little rusty, my ass. That looks amazing. Ok...blue looks really good wrapped around white hair. Good choice Nora...'_

Yang realized **why** her mouth was dry when Weiss sauntered up to her and a thin, pale finger slipped under her chin and her teeth clacked shut as her jaw was lifted from the floor.

Weiss smirked. "Do you think Ruby will want to...how was it you put it...pin me to a wall and make out with me?"

Yang had about a dozen inappropriate retorts to that question, but decided that saying any of them to a 'taken' lady was not a good idea. Weiss specifically told her that she wasn't interested in anything physical, so Yang wasn't worried about leaving Ruby alone with her. Weiss was just teasing her back. _'I'll let her have the win...this time.'_

Yang wasn't attracted to the Ice Queen in that way anyway. She just looked **damn** good right now. Crossing her arms over her chest, she smirked. "I think Ruby is a very lucky girl."

Weiss smirked again as she turned and walked back over to the mirror, looking over the braids herself. Yang grinned. "Damn, Vomit Boy. You do good work."

Jaune smiled at Yang and shrugged his shoulders. Weiss swung herself from side to side, watching the braids swing back and forth for a moment before looking over at the blonde man with a kind, thankful smile on her face. "That he does."

Jaune blushed at the praise before Weiss walked over and gave him a hug. "Thanks Jaune. It looks wonderful."

The blonde man hugged her back before nodding toward the door with a smile. "Anything for you two. Now go on. Your date is waiting for you."

Weiss half ran out the door with a bounce in her step as the others followed, Jaune and Nora heading for the front door to meet Ren while Yang followed Weiss to her room.

\-----

Arriving back at the bedroom, Yang knocked on the door with a grin. "Ruby. Your princess has arrived."

There was the sound of frantic footsteps running toward the door before they suddenly came to a halt and after a few seconds, the door opened. Yang knew Ruby was only acting calm and composed. The girl had been a nervous mess when she left to get Weiss. Not that it mattered as both girls froze upon seeing each other and Yang had to keep herself from laughing. _'Nice to see I'm not the only one surprised tonight.'_

All of the smug teasing Weiss had done at Yang's reaction came right back to her when her eyes fell on Ruby. The younger huntress was wearing the dress her older sister had bought for her. The long black dress went clear down to Ruby's ankles and had red trim along the modest neckline along with the red laces of the corset that looked very similar to the one the young team leader had worn back at Beacon.

There was never much Ruby could do with her short hair, but Yang had pulled most of it it back into a ponytail, although the long bangs that always hung down the side of her face were still there.

Yang smirked as the girls stared at each other, both whispering their approval.

Ruby's eyes were latched on Weiss' hair. "Wow...."

Weiss however was taking in Ruby's entire outfit, but as always the ice blue eyes ended up returning to her face. "Beautiful..."

Yang let the two love birds stay like that for a few moments before finally speaking up with a smile. "Ok you two. We need to get going, or you'll be late for dinner."

That snapped both girls out of their stupors and Ruby stood up straight, offering Weiss her arm, much like Weiss had done for her the night of the dance to help her walk in heels. "Shall we?"

Weiss returned to her regal posture and linked arms with her girlfriend with a smile. "We shall."

Yang followed them, keeping her jokes to herself. _'I'll be nice for now. There is always plenty of time to tease them later. It is Rubes first date, after all...'_

\-----

Ren handed them a map. "We marked a few location that you two might be interested in, along with getting reservations at a restaurant for you."

He pointed to another part of the map a short distance from the area marked down for the girls. "Me and Nora will be around this area, so if anything happens, we will be nearby if you need help. Just give us a call."

Weiss nodded. "What will you be doing?"

Nora perked up. "We are going to have a date of our own! I realized today that me and Renny never had one since we got 'together together'!"

Yang shook her head with a wide grin. "Alright you love birds. Get going so you aren't late for dinner. Have fun."

As the couples walked out the door, Ruby looked over at her date. "You're hair looks really pretty. Did Nora help you?"

Weiss smiled at her. "The ribbons were Nora's idea, but Jaune was the one that did the actual braiding."

Ruby stopped walking and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Huh...how about that. One sec. I'll be right back."

Before Weiss could question that statement, there was a rush of wind and rose petals scattering before she heard the sound of Jaune's yelp of surprise. Looking back at the house, she saw Ruby hanging around

Jaune's neck in a hug. "Thank you Jaune her hair looks **sooooo** pretty! Thank you so much!"

The blonde boy had pink cheeks as he gave her a quick hug back, then set her down and turned her toward the door with a smile. "It was my pleasure Ruby. Now stop keeping the lady waiting."

Weiss could just smile and shake her head as her date reappeared next to her in a storm of red petals and linked arms with her again, heading off into the evening sun.

\-----

As the door shut behind the couples, Yang shook her head with a smile. "Ruby was freaking out earlier, but now she looks so sure of herself."

Jaune chuckled. "Weiss was the same way. She was scared she'd screw up."

Yang grinned. "Too bad they aren't gay. I'm missing out on a perfectly good useless lesbians joke."

When Jaune gave her a weird look, Yang elaborated. "Asexual."

Jaune's eyebrows went up and his mouth opened. "Ahhh...wait...both of them?"

Yang laughed. "Yeah. Crazy, right?"

Jaune looked thoughtful. "So...useless asexual messes?"

The female of the blonde duo chuckled. "Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but sure."

Jaune had a little bittersweet smile on his face. "It's good that they found each other again. They'll be happy together."

Yang gave him an odd look. That statement sounded **way** too familiar. As he turned away, she shook her head. _'Nah. Can't be.'_

The words brought back her thoughts about Blake and Sun though, and that was something she didn't want on her mind right now. Looking at his back, she got an idea. Jogging up to him quickly, she walked backwards with her arms behind her back, looking at him. "Hey Jaune, Weiss told me you were, like, a mountain of man meat now. Wanna spar a bit? I could show you some moves."

Jaune stopped in his tracks, his face red. "She...said I was **what**?"

Yang grinned. "Ok, ok. She actually just said you were buff now. I just wanted to see your reaction. But what do you say? I'll even go easy on you."

Really, Yang just wanted a distraction from her own thoughts, but the guy looked like he could use one too. Seeing all your friends getting together after losing your girlfriend probably hurt like all hell. She could **kind of** relate. The difference being the people she liked were still out there somewhere.

_'That...might actually be worse. At least he isn't left wondering...'_

Yang frowned, disappointed in herself for having such a dark thought. She was honestly expecting Jaune to say no, but when he looked to actually be considering it, she smiled again, prodding a bit more. "Come on. It'll be fun."

Jaune huffed out a breath and at least **tried** to grin. "Fun for you maybe, but sure, why not?"

Yang did a little fist pump as she turned toward the courtyard door. She looked back over her shoulder. "Ditch the armor for now though."

Jaune gave her an odd look. "Why?"

Yang grinned. "I wanna see if Weiss is telling the truth."

When the guy went red again, Yang had to laugh. _'Too easy.'_

"Kidding. You are just going to want full range of movement for this."

When Jaune relaxed, Yang had to hold back her grin. _'Wait for the perfect timing...aaannnnd...now.'_

"The eye candy is just a bonus."

Yang loved playfully teasing her friends, and Jaune was just such an easy target. When she heard him smack into the edge of some furniture and his pained curse, she smiled to herself.

_'Still got it.'_

\-----

The four friends walked down the streets of Mistral toward their destination. Ren and Nora led the way, the happy redhead latched onto Ren's arm. Ruby and Weiss followed at a short distance, giving the semblance of privacy despite how close the two couples were walking. The girls had switched from linking arms to merely holding hands. Weaving through the crowds was too difficult otherwise. Weiss wasn't quite sure how Nora and Ren managed it.

 _'Probably from years of clinging to him like a sloth.'_ She thought with a grin.

Meanwhile, Ruby was looking at all of the shops and merchant stands with smiling eyes. Weiss wanted to take in the scenery too, but she also didn't want to lose track of their guides. Ruby was already pointing out places she thought the two of them should go once they were done eating. Weiss rolled her eyes with a smile when she noticed most of those shops sold weapons.

_'Still the weapon crazed dolt...'_

Eventually, the group stopped and Ren motioned to the restaurant they were standing in front of. "I placed the reservations under Ruby's name."

Nora perked up. "We didn't think it would be good to let everyone know you were here Weiss. We'll be just a few streets down if you need anything, so have fun."

Weiss nodded her head in thanks. "Thank you. I appreciate your discretion in the matter."

Ren just nodded in acknowledgement, then walked off with Nora happily rambling about all the fun stuff she wanted to do.

Ruby held out her arm again, trying not to giggle. "Shall we, my lady?"

Weiss linked arms with her again, smile on her face. "Come on, dolt."

The duo walked into the small restaurant and Weiss breathed in a heavenly smell, a smile growing wide on her face. _'I've never tried Mistrili sushi before. Oh, this is going to be delightful.'_

\-----

Nora looked at Ren from over the top of her menu. "Think they will be ok?"

Ren glanced up at her, then went back to his own. "They should be. I chose that location because the owners are unlikely to recognize Weiss, and I got them a table in the least visible spot in the building."

Nora chuckled. "Well, you are the team ninja. You would know, and if anyone tries anything, we are here to break some legs."

Ren looked back up her again with a grin, an amused look in his eyes.

Nora started getting a nervous look on her face. "Ren...speaking of people being ok..."

Ren reached across the table and took her hand. "We are doing all we can for him."

Nora shook her head. "I'm not talking about just him Ren. I mean...all of us. I know all about keeping up a happy image to keep everyone's spirits up, and Ruby has been doing that for months. I can see Yang doing it too."

Ren gave her a reassuring smile. "We just have to keep supporting each other."

Nora sighed. "I just wish there was more we could do."

Ren squeezed her hand. "All we can do is let them know we are here for them when they are ready. Besides...that is why we arranged this, isn't it? To give Ruby and Weiss some happy memories, at least for one night."

Nora looked off to the side sheepishly. "Weeeeeellll....and perhaps us too."

Ren just gave her a small smile in return.

\-----

Dinner was, as Weiss expected, wonderful. After a little bit of convincing, she even got Ruby to try sushi. The way Ruby's face lit up when she first tasted it made Weiss smile. Weiss was pretty sure that by the end of the meal, Ruby had stolen half of her plate. Of course, she offered a good portion of her own meal to Weiss with a sheepish smile once her theft was pointed out to her.

After that, the two girls merely wandered from store to store. The group wasn't exactly rolling in Lien, so the girls didn't buy anything, but Weiss enjoyed listening to Ruby gush about all of the weapons they saw. They even spent some time relaxing in a park they came across. Passing by a bakery, Weiss offered to buy Ruby some cookies as a treat, but surprisingly enough, the younger girl turned her down.

Weiss was flabbergasted. " **You**...are turning down cookies?"

Ruby stuck her tongue out and huffed. "I can resist cookies anytime I want, you know."

Weiss gave her a look that clearly stated she didn't believe her.

Ruby huffed again in defeat. "Ok...their stuff just isn't that good. I can bake much better myself."

Weiss gave her a thoughtful smile as an idea came to mind. "Well, maybe you could show me some time."

Ruby hopped up and down, grinning wide. "Absolutely! As soon as we get back tonight, I'm teaching you how to bake the best cookies ever!"

Weiss grinned at her girlfriend's excitement. "I look forward to it."

\-----

When the girls arrived later that evening and walked in the door, they saw an interesting sight. Jaune and Yang were sitting on the couch. Jaune had his head tilted back and his eyes closed, arm wrapped around his stomach and his face was covered in dirt. Yang, for her part, had an ice pack held to her eye, grinning madly. When she pulled it away, her eye was swollen and purple. Ruby immediately freaked out. "Yang! What happened!?"

Jaune groaned in pain while Yang kept grinning. "Well, after you two left, I remembered how Weiss mentioned Jaune is buff now so I wanted to get a spar in. Maybe teach him some hand to hand."

Weiss blushed in embarrassment. _'Gods. I swear she better not try and tease me about that comment.'_

She quickly pushed that feeling down in lieu of a more important question. "How did you get a black eye?"

Yang laughed. "Well, I wanted it to be fair, so we didn't bother using aura and I took it easy on him. Vomit Boy here got a lucky hit."

The blonde man on the other end of the couch halfheartedly held up a fist in victory before letting it drop limply back to his side.

Ruby looked confused. "Why didn't you use your aura to heal it afterwards though?"

Her sister chuckled. "You guys would've never believed me if I just told you, so I wanted to show you..."

Jaune finally chimed in, groaning. "... **after** she kicked my ass."

Yang laughed louder as she flared her aura, the swelling disappearing, leaving her face unmarred. "Well, I couldn't let your ego get too high. You got a hell of a hay-maker there though."

Jaune chuckled, but the laugh quickly turned to a pained groan as he stood up, looking at the other two. "Date go well?"

Ruby nodded quickly, a happy grin plastered on her face. Weiss gave a much more restrained smile. "It went very well. Thank you for helping us get ready."

Jaune gave them that same bittersweet smile. "It was no problem."

Weiss frowned. There it was again, that hidden pain. Even if she had been unaware of his nightly routine, she was more than familiar with the signs. She used to see them all the time in the mirror.

The blonde boy cracked his neck and rolled his sore shoulder. "I'm going to go take a shower and get to bed. See you all in the morning."

Weiss bit her lip as she watched him go. As he made it to the door she made her decision. "Hey, Jaune?"

When he looked back at her, she continued. "We miss her too. If you need to talk to someone, we are here for you, ok?"

Jaune looked away with an unreadable expression on his face, but glanced back at her with a small, but obviously forced smile. "I'm ok, but thanks."

Weiss didn't press the issue and let him go. She noticed Ruby had also picked up on his mood when they looked at each other. No words were needed. The offer had been made.

Not wanting the mood to sour, Weiss spoke up, giving Ruby a grin. "Now, I believe you mentioned something about baking cookies?"

Ruby's mood flipped around immediately as a huge smile lit up her face and she grabbed Weiss' hand, pulling her toward the kitchen. "Operation: Teach Weiss to bake the best cookies ever is a go!"

Yang shook her head with a smile. "Have fun love birds. Save some cookies for the rest of us."

As the happy couple bid her goodnight, Yang got up and headed to her room to get clothes for bed, wiping a proud tear from her eye. _'Little sis is all grown up.'_

\-----

The next two weeks rolled by in much the same way. The group trained everyday, spaced out with meals and relaxation. There was a semblance of order to the entire process. It was a new routine, and Weiss liked routine. It was like a good habit.

There was other habits that Weiss noticed too, and everyone had developed an unspoken agreement it seemed. Jaune still maintained his late night training sessions. Ruby kept habitually waking up at the same time in the middle of the night and checking on him from the shadows. The only change to that was that Weiss now joined her, being woken up whenever Ruby got out of bed.

Weiss had moved herself into Yang and Ruby's room. The two had discussed moving Ruby to Weiss' room, but decided that leaving Yang alone was a bad idea, even if Yang had claimed it was fine. They would take Yang's teasing about them sharing a bed if it meant being with their teammate.

Some others things became habit among the group as well. No one brought up Blake around Yang unless she did first. No one spoke of Pyrrha around Jaune unless he spoke of her. Whenever possible, Ren and Nora didn't leave Jaune's side. Ruby and Weiss had developed the same habit for Yang. Oscar was always there for training and would occasionally join them for meals or other fun activities. He was still a kid like them, after all, even if he had a thousand year old being in his head. No one was left by themselves if at all possible.

It was just after dinner when Ruby ran out into the courtyard telling them all to gather in the living room. Lionheart had just called Qrow, and they needed to discuss their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I was originally going to make some big, fluffy date filler chapter. After I started writing it though, I decided that it wasn't what I was really going for with this story. So, I decided to go more with exploring more of everyone's psyche and current mindsets a bit more. I sprinkled in a bit of fluff and a bunch of comedy so we didn't get too depressing. There will be plenty of drama and action the next few chapters, so look forward to that. The Haven battle will be a 2 or 3 chapter thing, so there is a chance that next week we might not have a chapter posted, just so I can make sure the quality is up to snuff. As always, comments are welcome. Tell me what you like, what you don't. How can I improve my writing, ect. Throw your theories and predictions at me. I love reading those.


	13. Battle of Haven Part 1: Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teams arrive at Haven to meet Lionheart, but something isn't right...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Blood and some gore. This is probably the most graphic chapter I have written. (You all know the part this warning applies to.)

The walk to the Academy that night was uncomfortably quiet. Qrow looked bored and moody as he tended to be whenever Weiss saw him outside of the house. There was something else in his stance though. Oscar had the same nervous caution in his steps. Weiss wasn't sure if the others noticed, but she was pretty sure Ozpin and Qrow suspected something was amiss. Based on what she heard from General Ironwood's suspicions, Weiss was not surprised. She did suspect an attack on Haven sooner or later, and kept herself on guard, careful to hide her nerves behind her familiar ice mask.

Walking next to her, Nora had her typical smile in place. Ren was stoic walking next to his girlfriend. Those two were always the hardest for Weiss to read, but Nora had proven to be more aware than she let on...usually. That was something Weiss had never noticed back at Beacon.

Walking on Weiss' other side, Yang was radiating annoyance, her frown plain to see. There was a determination in her stride that was so different from their younger school days. Ruby was walking on the other side of her sister looking far more relaxed than Weiss felt. Her childlike wonder wasn't completely gone though, and Weiss caught her looking up at the CCT tower in awe.

On Ruby's other side, Jaune looked much like Yang and herself. His mouth was in a grim line and his eyes were constantly moving around, like a soldier watching for an unseen enemy. He would occasionally glance over the group as well. Ruby caught his eye once and she gave him a reassuring smile. One time Weiss caught his eye as well, her mask slipping for a moment to do the same. Those were the only two times she saw any change in his grim look, his face softening the slightest amount. The determination returned when he looked past Weiss to Ren, the two men sharing a tiny nod.

That was when Weiss finally noticed that JNPR were not walking together for once, almost like they were...

_'Surrounding us...like an honor guard.'_

That was something Weiss **had** noticed back at Beacon. It was the difference between the two teams. While team RWBY focused more on overwhelming an enemy with their offense, team JNPR had always been a defense oriented team, wearing down and picking apart their enemy, or weathering attacks until they had an opening for a strong, decisive strike. Even Nora, the most offensively focused member of the group, still didn't rush in like Ruby or Yang used to. Jaune and Pyrrha always made use of their shields to hold back the enemy, and Ren was always a tactical fighter, sneaking in quick strikes and then retreating, much like Blake.

Based on how Qrow, the most experienced fighter of the group, save for Oscar, who had access to Ozpin's centuries of experience, walked in front, while Oscar brought up the rear of the group, Weiss realized that this was not a random arrangement. Oscar was no doubt hanging near the back to stay out of sight as the group's trump card, but other than that...

_'We fell into a battle formation. I'm not the only one expecting something to happen tonight.'_

Weiss was even more sure of her assessment when Ruby stopped for a moment to check on Oscar as he passed by, still looking very nervous. The young boy was technically the least experienced out of all of them. Unless Ozpin took over, even Jaune had more real world experience fighting than the farm boy. Once the young huntress appeared satisfied that everyone was accounted for, Ruby instinctively returned to her spot in the formation.

As the group entered the school, Oscar moved up next to Weiss, easily concealed behind Qrow, while Jaune had dropped back, keeping an eye on everyone. The tactical part of Weiss' mind told her that this was probably the best setup for being prepared for anything.

Looking up, Weiss saw Professor Lionheart standing on the balcony where the double staircase met, looking out over the group. "Thank you for coming. There...seems to be more of you than last time."

_'Why does he sound...nervous?'_

Weiss glanced over at Qrow when he started talking. Despite the look he had on his face outside, he looked very relaxed and nonchalant. "Eh, you know what they say, 'The more, the merrier.' So what's going on with the council?"

Instead of answering, Lionheart looked out over the group. "Why...did you bring your weapons?"

Alarms started going off in Weiss' head and her hand subtly slipped to rest on the pommel of her rapier. While Lionheart focused on Qrow, she looked at whoever should could out of the corners of her eyes. She couldn't see Oscar or the rest of JNPR, but she saw Yang glancing around the room like something caught her eye. Ruby's fingers were twitching like she wanted to reach for Crescent Rose, her smile falling just the slightest bit, and Jaune's arms, which had been crossed across his chest as he walked up into her peripheral, had dropped, but one of his hands had fell to rest on his sword, like her's had.

While all of this had gone on, Qrow gave Lionheart an odd look like the answer was obvious. "What? Leo. We're huntsmen. You ok?"

Watching the headmaster more closely, Weiss could see the man practically radiating nerves as he answered. If not for the subtle smell of alcohol that always came from Qrow distracting her, she was fairly certain she'd be able to **smell** how nervous the headmaster was. It didn't take someone used to reading people to see the man was scared. "Of course! Of course, sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee."

Qrow sounded exasperated. "Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not?"

That was when Yang seemed to finally find what had caught her attention. "Mom?"

When Lionheart turned his head to look right at where Yang was looking, Qrow pulled his weapon and fired, hitting the wooden railing just as the bird took off, flying behind Lionheart and a familiar woman walked into view.

Weiss glanced worriedly at Qrow as the man held his weapon at the ready, deep frown on his face. This man had no love for his sister it seemed. What worried Weiss more was the fact she was here.

_'Why is Raven here? She has no love for the Academies. This doesn't make sense.'_

Ruby spoke up from Qrow's other side. She didn't sound happy. Based on what she learned from meeting the woman, and what little Yang had told her, Weiss was not surprised at Ruby's reaction. The woman had caused the sisters' entire family a lot of pain. "Raven.."

Nora finally spoke up. She sounded completely in disbelief. If Weiss hadn't seen it with her own eyes a couple weeks ago, she would have been in shock too. "They...They really are magic..."

Raven took off her mask and stared down at Qrow in disdain. "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting."

Qrow stared back at his sister. "What are you doing here!?"

Raven started walking down the stairs, watching her brother. "I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister."

Weiss had been carefully watching the woman that had trapped her in a cage for a month walk, but her glare snapped up to Lionheart when Qrow growled out at the man. "Leo. What have you done?"

When Lionheart tried to explain himself, Raven cut him off. "Leo did what any sane person would in his position. He looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice."

As Lionheart closed his eyes in shame, Weiss focused her attention back on Raven, who had focused her gaze on Yang. "And it seems you all have too."

Yang tensed up, her fists clenching in anger at her mother as Qrow spoke up again. "You have the Spring Maiden."

Raven gave him a deadpan look. "I do."

Qrow may not have had any love for his sibling, but Weiss could appreciate him trying to negotiate as he put his weapon away in a show of peace. They might get out of this without a fight yet. "Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!"

Raven gave her a brother a look that was a cross between scorn and disappointment. "All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!"

Weiss glared at the woman. **'What does she know that we don't? Is it possible that Salem can't be stopped?'**

Ruby spoke up. She was answering Raven, but Weiss felt like her girlfriend could read her mind and was refuting her as well. "You're wrong."

Raven's gaze moved to the young huntress pleading with her.

_'Even now she doesn't give up. She still tries to see the good in people, but Yang and I have seen what she is like...'_

"We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone!"

Ruby walked forward as Yang and Weiss kept their glares on the older woman. "We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had **each other**."

Raven's scowl softened just the tiniest bit. It was almost enough to make Weiss think Ruby had gotten through to her.

Yang looked at her sister in disbelief as Ruby did everything in her power to make peace with the woman. "Work with us! At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together."

The young leader held her hand out in offering. "Please."

Raven looked down at the offered hand, then her expression went deadpan. "You sound just like your mother."

Weiss tensed up as Raven grabbed her sword and slashed open a portal. Before anyone could react, a ball of flame shot out, hitting Ruby and sending her skidding across the floor in pain. Weiss turned and ran over, dropping to her knees next to her girlfriend and helping her sit up.

A sickeningly sweet voice rang out over the room. "Hello boys and girls..."

Weiss was busy checking Ruby over for injury, but stopped at the growl that came from Ruby. "Cinder..."

Looking over at the assembled enemies, a growl rumbled in the back of Weiss' throat. Vernal, Emerald, Mercury, and Cinder stood with Raven. The smirks on their faces sparked anger in the ex-heiress until a chilling thought crossed her mind. _'Cinder is a Maiden. Raven has a Maiden...and Vernal is her most trusted. She must be the other Maiden. Pyrrha couldn't win against a single Maiden...and now we have to fight two...'_

Mercury had his smug grin directed at Yang. "C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?"

Yang growled and tensed up, ready to attack. Even Ruby's innocent face dropped into a determined glare that Weiss had rarely seen before as she helped her girlfriend stand and reached for her sword. She stopped short when Qrow held out a hand. "Everybody, stay calm."

The large doors opened up and a large man in a green coat entered, turning and shutting them tight behind himself. From next to her, Oscar sounded nervous. "Oh, no..."

Weiss was getting nervous as well. She was suspicious of a trap, but this was even worse than she imagined. It got worse as the man spoke in a deep tone. "The White Fang is prepping demolition, and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

Weiss' hands closed into fists as anger began to override her nerves and her scowl promised pain as she glared at Lionheart. "This was all just a trap?"

Next to her, Qrow's had the same stance, and his voice held a note of restrained anger and betrayal. Weiss had never felt close to the man, but right now they were of the same mind. "Raven. Tell me...How long have you been with them?"

Instead of Raven replying, Cinder instead stepped up and Weiss got her first good look at the woman. Her hair was hanging over her left eye, but Weiss could see the scars and mask under the dark hair. Her own scar tingled on her face and Weiss had to stop herself from reaching for it. She was not a fan of having the same facial feature as the woman that killed her friends.

The woman in question had a condescending look on her face, like a parent speaking to an upset child. It reminded Weiss way too much of Jacques' arrogant attitude. "Awww, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand..."

Qrow's scowl was redirected to the Haven headmaster. Weiss and Yang had similar looks as they also looked at him as Cinder continued listing his crimes. "Entrance to the Vytal Festival was a real treat, but Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a **very** long time. Isn't that right, Professor?"

Lionheart had the decency to look ashamed of his actions as he looked away. "Stop it..."

Qrow spoke up. The anger in his voice wasn't even held back anymore. "It was you. You sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the entire Kingdom, and you gave it all to her. I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!"

_'Ozpin trusted Lionheart. He trusted him to protect his students. Trusted him to protect Mistral. Trusted him to protect the people of Anima. Trusted him with all of his secrets...and the man **betrayed** him. All of those people died because of his cowardice.'_

Cinder was soothing Lionheart, talking about how they would have been found sooner or later anyway. Weiss growled out loud, catching the attention of several of the people in the room as she scowled at Lionheart. "Those deaths are on your hands, and you will not leave this Academy alive."

Cinder smirked. "Oh, did the spoiled heiress finally grow a backbone? Maybe if you had one a year ago, you could have saved another person or two at your last school, not that it would have mattered, of course."

Qrow reached out to her, trying to keep everyone calm, but suddenly Jaune spoke up for the first time, breathing heavy and staring at the floor. "What is **wrong** with you?"

Weiss felt like her anger was doused in water as she looked over at him, the realization chilling the blood in her veins. The woman that had caused Jaune so much pain was standing right in front of him. Cinder had caused all of them so much pain by being responsible for killing two of their friends, and she was the one that killed Pyrrha personally, and now she was here. Ruby was looking at their friend with worry on her face as his anger was barely held in check. "How can you be so broken inside...to take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?! All with that **damn smile on your face!** "

Everyone tensed and drew their weapons. Qrow yelled for everyone to calm down, but Weiss felt no desire to remain calm as she watched the angry tears roll down Jaune's face. She remembered Blake, bleeding on the pavement. She remembered Yang, missing her arm. She remembered all the dead laying about, the crying survivors. She remembered Nora and Ren as they wept. Her friends. Her **real** family.

She pictured Ruby, the girl she grew to love laying unconscious, and Jaune kneeling broken on the ground. The two dorks that had somehow become her best friends. The two that accepted her without question, no matter what she did, what she was. One of which had even become more than a friend to her. Weiss had watched as they dealt with the pain everyday, and **Cinder** was the cause of that pain. At that point, Weiss had a pretty good idea of how Yang felt when she went into a rage. She didn't even feel her second set of lids close. She saw only red as she slowly drew her rapier.

_'I'm going to kill that bitch...'_

At the same time, Jaune had been yelling about making Cinder pay. When the woman just stared at him, he yelled out at her to say something. Weiss honestly didn't care about trying to keep things from getting out of hand. Qrow was trying, but Weiss knew there was only one way this conversation was ending. Cinder made sure of that when she said what was probably the worst four words you could say to a person who wanted revenge against you. "Who are you again?"

Jaune froze for a moment, then drew his sword and charged at Cinder with a battle cry. At the same time, Weiss summoned a glyph under his feet, throwing him at Cinder even faster. The Fall Maiden had smirked as she watched him come in, summoning a burning sword of glass to parry his strike. Her smirk slipped slightly as the blonde was suddenly in her face much faster than expected, her graceful parry becoming a desperate one to keep the great-sword from her face. She quickly recovered as Emerald drew her weapons.

Ruby yelled out for Jaune in alarm and transformed her rifle into a scythe, leaping into the air to join in the fight against Cinder. As she came down to slash at the woman, a chain wrapped around her waist and slammed her to the floor. Emerald smirked at her. "You're not getting anywhere near her."

As Emerald stalked toward Ruby, her eyes went wide and she leapt back as an ice spike flew by her head. Red eyes turned toward the glaring Faunus. Weiss' face promised murder. Those murderous eyes turned toward the young huntress. "You ok Ruby?"

Ruby got to her feet and nodded once to her girlfriend, then burst into rose petals as she charged at Emerald while Yang took on Mercury. Turning her murderous eyes back toward her target, Weiss started stalking toward Cinder and Jaune again in a way that would have made Glynda proud. She only made it a few steps before a bullet flew by her face, halting her advance. Weiss slowly turned her head toward Vernal. " **Out. of. my. way.** "

Vernal gave her face an odd look. Almost like she was surprised at the rage in Weiss' eyes. "No can do princess. How 'bout you and me find out what the Schnee name really means."

Weiss leveled her sword at the bandit. "I'm more than a name."

Vernal chuckled. "Prove it."

In the back of her mind, Weiss was vaguely aware that she was trying to take on a Maiden, but in her cold rage, her only thoughts were _'Defeat Vernal. Protect family from Cinder. Kill Cinder.'_

Summoning glyphs between herself and her target, Weiss took off, intent on taking down the bandit as quickly as possible so she could help her friends. Jaune wouldn't be able to defeat Cinder on his own, but with her help, they may have a chance, and once Ruby and Yang took care of Emerald and Mercury, they could all focus on the main threat.

As she came in, intent on shoving her rapier through Vernal's throat, the bandit crossed her strange weapons in front of her, redirecting Weiss' sword above her head and pulling the blades apart, sending the Faunus back a few steps. Weiss charged in again, rapidly stabbing at Vernal as fast as she could without the use of time dilation. Somehow, the bandit managed to hold back her assault, catching her sword between her own blades and kicking Weiss in the chest, making her stumble back.

The pain shook her loose from her anger and Weiss found herself thinking clearly again. Vernal fired at her as Weiss summoned glyphs to dodge the bullets and blades flying at her as her training took over, instinct keeping her safe while her mind raced for some way to win.

**_'Fight smarter, not harder. How do I beat her?'_ **

**'You are fighting a Maiden. Pyrrha couldn't beat a Maiden. How are you going to?'**

Weiss resolutely ignored the nagging voice of doubt in her head. She **had** to win.

**'You can't match her in close combat.  Stay back.  Attack from a distance.'**

That was the first idea in that voice that had any merit.  Stopping for a single moment on one of her glyphs, Weiss tried to send ice spikes at her foe. She barely managed to shoot them at Vernal before leaning back as one of the spinning blades flew by her head and she saw a few white hairs falling toward the floor.

Unfortunately, the tiny moment that her ice spears granted her was taken dodging the attack that took part of her bangs (and nearly her head) from her and she found herself on the defensive again, dodging projectiles. Deflecting a bullet with her sword, Weiss neglected to take her surroundings into account in her haste to put distance between herself and her opponent. She found herself leaping back only to collide with one of the pillars in the room. As she shook her head to clear it, she looked up just in time to deflect one of the blades flying at her. That was immediately followed by Vernal leaping through the air at her.

In an act of desperation, Weiss summoned a gravity glyph and threw herself roughly across the floor.

_'I need help. I need my knight.'_

Landing in a crouch, she quickly rotated Myrtenaster to Ice dust and swung the blade in front of her multiple times, creating a massive wall of ice between her and Vernal. As quickly as possible, she took her sword in both hands and stabbed it into the floor, her glyph appearing in front of her. Channeling a large chunk of her aura into the construct, she smiled as her knight quickly climbed from the glyph, sensing her desperation.

Her relief was over in an instant as a red beam of aura flew over her head, cutting down her ice wall, and decapitating her knight in the process. Weiss looked up in disbelief as her summon faded away.

_'No...'_

Before she had time to process what happened, her eyes went wide the instant before one of Vernal's blades struck her in the face, throwing her to the ground and knocking her sword from her grasp.

Vernal stood on the other side of the remaining ice, smirking at her as she caught the returning weapon. "Don't think I'm going to let you take the easy way out."

Gritting her teeth, Weiss grabbed her blade from the floor and returned to her feet, deflecting bullets as she tried to figure out some way to get enough time to bring forth a summon to help her. She needed to take Vernal down and assist her friends.

As the bandit leapt at her again, Weiss summoned another gravity glyph, throwing Vernal off over her head and sending her away. Quickly focusing, she tried again, only to be met with a bullet to her back. Once again, she was on the defensive, jumping off glyphs to dodge the bandit's attacks. Deflecting the spinning weapon once again, the force almost caused her to miss her landing as she nearly fell off of the edge of a platform.

_'I can't keep this up much longer. I need to end this.'_

Landing on the ground, Weiss barely managed to block the spinning blades again followed by Vernal leaping in again. Recognizing the pattern, this time Weiss was ready, catching both blades in a gravity glyph and throwing extra aura into the glyph to throw Vernal back and then using another to send the bandit up into the air to buy herself a few precious seconds.

Breathing heavily, Weiss once again threw her aura into her blade, stabbing it into the floor in an attempt to summon some assistance. She gasped and looked up as those familiar blades wrapped around her sword and she looked up into Vernal's grinning face. Her next thought was how much pain she felt as Vernal shot all four barrels of her guns into her at point blank range and she yelled as her aura broke.

Things got quiet for a moment as Weiss heard snippets of conversation and battle around her.

"...let her die too?"

*Cresent Rose firing*

"...essing with me!"

*Nora yelling as she hit the floor.*

*Jaune's angry battle cry.*

As her eyes opened she heard Ruby screaming and saw a familiar bright light engulfing the room. "Jaune!  Nooooooooooo!"

_'Ruby...?'_

As suddenly as it appeared, the light was gone and Weiss found herself still on her knees. As she tried to climb to her feet, she looked up just in time for Vernal's boot to connect with her chest instead of her face, sending her flying across the room. Her chest ached as the wind was knocked from her and she took heaving breaths as she struggled to her knees, unable to stop her eyes from watering from the pain she was in.

_'I think she cracked a rib. I need to rest...just a- **NO!** I need to get up! I need to help. I can't give up n-'_

**"NOOOOO!!"**

_'Jau-?'_

**PAIN**

Weiss gasped as sharp, unimaginable pain overwhelmed her mind. Then, just as suddenly, the pain stopped and she felt...numb. Wide eyed, she looked down, her mind having trouble believing what she was seeing.

_'No...'_

There was a large burning spear head protruding from her torso. Her hands were twitching and unconsciously reaching toward the projectile as instinct screamed at her to remove the foreign object.

Weiss wasn't stupid. Her brain knew exactly what was happening. She was in shock. Nerves overwhelmed and going dead as her body attempted to spare her mind the trauma. Even though she wasn't able to form a coherent thought, her subconscious was still trying to tell her just how much she **should** be worrying as she watched the red stain slowly spreading from the large hole in her leather corset.  It was also seeping through the mesh.  That could only mean one thing.

_'Ran through...Lung pierced...Gills shredded...Probable shattered ribs...Internal bleeding and blood loss...'_

As the orange and black spear sticking out of her faded away, much like a dead Grimm, Weiss watched as blood started pouring from her body...no longer held back by the weapon...leaking from under the leather and staining her pants.

_' **Rapid** blood loss...'_

Even through her short gasps, beyond the feeling of the wind being knocked from her by Vernal, she could feel herself having trouble getting air. It was a sensation Weiss had never experienced before. She knew what it was though. It was a danger that all humans and even most Faunus had to worry about. The problem was, under any normal circumstance, it was practically impossible for it to happen to her.

_'Fluid in my lungs...no... **blood** in my lungs...'_

As her vision started to blur, Weiss' fear was confirmed when she suddenly coughed. The spray of red that came from her mouth and splattered on the floor in front of her was accompanied by blinding pain from her sudden movement, and her vision went dark as she felt herself fall forward. The last thing she heard was Jaune's voice screaming out as consciousness left her.

**"WEEIIISS!!!"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't particularly want to end this chapter on the same cliffhanger as the show, but it ended up being the most logical point. I gave this scene quite a bit of thought since it was mentioned to me so long ago. After watching the scene a few times, I realized that Weiss gets hit a lot higher on her torso than I originally thought. (Her sash sits a lot higher on her waist.) With how I have her physiology set up, she definitely took that spear in the gills along with part of a lung. (Hence the rapid blood loss.) That is going to change things up for her going forward in this battle. Aura is great and all, but she is NOT going to be in top form right after a hit like that.
> 
> Also, I watched that fight repeatedly, but I honestly saw no way for Weiss to win that by herself. Vernal is too agressive, plus she was trained by someone who takes on huntsman regularly during raids. Poor girl didn't have a chance, no matter how determined she was.


	14. Battle of Haven Part 2: Making Peace with your Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your mind does strange things when you are dying...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: More blood in this chapter than the last.  
> Also, posting this one a little late in the day because I had an idea 2 days ago and ended up rewriting almost the entire first part of this chapter. I also have news regarding further updates to this story in the ending notes.

When Weiss opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness.

_"Where..am I?"_

A sudden, unfamiliar feeling came over her as she...shivered? _"I'm...cold. I don't get cold. Why am I cold?"_

"...no, no, no, not again!"

It was quiet, but Weiss was sure she heard a faint voice somewhere in the darkness.

_"Hello? Is someone there?"_

As silence answered her call, the unnatural feeling of cold frightened her as she felt the warmth leaving her body. It started in her arms and legs, her fingers and toes feeling numb. The sensation started traveling up her arms and Weiss started hugging herself, as if she could somehow hold the heat inside herself if she tried hard enough. Wrapping her arms around herself, she felt a spot of warmth on her side.

As the cold spread across her body, that one part stayed warm as the cold closed in on it. She wasn't sure why, but she **knew** that she couldn't let that spot of warmth fade.

_"Hello!? Someone help! Please!"_

Looking around frantically, Weiss finally saw something other than darkness. In the distance, there was a speck of white. Placing both frozen hands around the spot of warmth on her side, she started stumbling on numb legs toward the object in the distance.

\-----

As she got closer, Weiss realized it was a person. It was the one she used to see in the mirror. It was the image she had punched when she shattered that mirror...when she made the decision to take control of her life.

Perfect hair. Perfect clothes. Perfect, unmarred face. This was the puppet that pushed everyone away. The one that never showed weakness. The one that **had** to be perfect, **had** to be the best. The one that mocked and belittled her. The one that put doubt into her mind.

Said girl was staring at Weiss in disdain. **"You just wouldn't listen, would you? You could have had a nice, safe life. No worries, no pain. But no, you had to go and get yourself killed trying to be the hero."**

All at once, memories rushed back to Weiss as she looked at her feet. The battle. Her fight with Vernal. The spear. The blood. Jaune's voice screaming out her name...

_"That's right...I'm dying. I'm hallucinating while dying. I'm inside my own mind."_

**"Yes, you are. You shouldn't have been there. You weren't meant to be a huntress. Now, you are going to die, and it's all your fault. You're nothing without me."**

Weiss' eyes shot up to the heiress again. That last sentence didn't sound right. That was not something the nagging doubt in her subconscious would say. That sounded more like...

Looking closer at the heiress, Weiss saw a hand on the girl's shoulder. As she focused on the odd limb, another figure faded into view behind the girl. Weiss scowled at the image of Jacques Schnee.

The image sneered right back as the heiress spoke again. It was her voice, but his words coming from her lips. **"Pathetic. Worthless. Did you really think you'd be good enough to fulfill this delusion of being some barbaric warrior?"**

Weiss scowled at him and drew Myrtenaster with numb fingers, pointing it at the man. _"I refuse to be controlled by you anymore!"_

Forcing herself forward on her shaky legs, she attempted to stab the image. If she was going to die, his words would **not** be the last thing to go through her mind. As the blade closed in on its target, it was met by it's copy, held in the hand of the young heiress in front of her. The young girl flicked her wrist and Weiss' sword was knocked from her numb fingers. Looking back up, Weiss saw the blade pointed at her neck.

The heiress had taken a few steps forward as Jacques stood back to watch. She glanced down at Myrtenaster and then looked at Weiss. **"Pick it up."**

Weiss took a few steps back, kneeling down to pick up her blade. As soon as she was on her feet, she suddenly found herself stumbling backwards and desperately defending herself as she was viciously attacked by her copy. The heiress' technique was unrefined and sloppy, just as Weiss' had been when she first started, but it still took all of Weiss' effort just to keep her grip on her blade as she deflected each attack. The copy scowled at her. **"You should have just stayed at home. You could have been safe. You could have had anything you needed. You could have had the company, but you just had to be stubborn. Had to try and live some impossible dream."**

"Weiss, c...n, ..ease!"

Both girls stopped and looked around hearing the faint voice of a man. Weiss' eyes went wide as she recognized who it was. _"Jaune?"_

Movement flickered at the edge of Weiss' vision and she leaned back as the sword passed inches from her face. Her copy came at her again with a frown. **"Kind of ironic, isn't it?  Jaune of all people is still alive, and here we are, bleeding out on the ground."**

"W...an't...lose any...else."

Weiss' heart felt like it broke as she pieced together what his words were. He was crying...about her. She could almost picture him kneeling over her body. Ruby was probably there too, unable to even make a noise. They were about to lose another friend, and Weiss wouldn't even get to hear Ruby's voice one last time.

Distracted by that thought, Weiss cried out in pain as she was kicked in the leg, dropping her to her knees as the heiress looked down at her with a wicked grin. **"I wouldn't worry too much about Ruby. She is plenty talented. Probably more than you. She'll probably be fine. Knowing his current state of mind, Jaune will give up his life trying to protect her. After losing two girls he cared for, I doubt he's going to care about himself anymore. Maybe they could get together for awhile before that. We both know they were pretty close, even if he is pretty pathetic compared to the ones he likes."**

As the heiress swung her sword down at Weiss, it was met by Weiss' own as she held Myrtenaster above her head. The blade was cutting into her hand as she used both hands to brace against the blade barring down on her. As she held against the attack, her breath hitched and she could feel the warm spot on her side slowly getting larger as a faint white glow emanated from the area.

As the warmth started spreading through her body, strength began to return to her muscles as she pushed back. Looking up at the heiress' stunned face, she scowled. _"No. He is not pathetic. He is my friend. He might not be as skilled as the rest of us, but he is **not** pathetic."_

Pushing herself to her feet, Weiss shoved the young heiress back and went on the attack. Suddenly, the battle was flipped and the heiress found herself on the defensive, desperately trying to keep up. Both girls stopped at the sound of an angry voice. "What are you doing? You can't even win against someone who could barely fight? This is why you aren't good enough to be my heir."

Both girls looked over to the image of Jacques that had been watching them. Weiss scowled at the fact the image was even still part of her psyche. Her copy however, looked subdued. **"I'm sorry Father."**

"Weiss!"

Weiss smiled as she heard the familiar voice in the void. It sounded alarmed, but clear. _"Ruby..."_

Ruby's voice was music to Weiss' ears. "What happened?"

"Whatever you're doing, don't stop!"

"I won't."

Weiss' grin stretched from ear to ear as the voices sounded loud and clear in the darkness. Her two best friends were with her, and from the sound of their voices, she was going to be ok.

The copy looked panicked and renewed her attack against Weiss, but it was in vain. Her strength had returned and her skill easily outmatched her copy. The more she pushed back, the more the image of Jacques yelled. Weiss realized though that the comments were not direct toward her. They were directed toward the copy and each word seemed to lessen the heiress' resolve.

As the copy made a desperate, wild swing at her, Weiss knocked the blade aside. As it flew off into the void, Weiss spun and planted a kick into the girl's stomach, sending her skidding to a stopin front of Jacques. He scowled down at the figure at his feet. "Pathetic."

The heiress got to her knees and looked up at Jacques. **"I'm sorry Father. She caught me off guard."**

His eyes narrowed. "I don't want to hear your excuses. You're just a weak child."

The heiress' eyes widened and she sounded scared. **"No! I can still fight! I'll prove I'm good enough."**

The figure tried to get to her feet, but dropped back down to her knees with a look of pain on her face. Jacques gave her an expectant look. "Well?"

The copy looked up at him. **"I-I just need a moment. I..."**

The image fell to the ground and yelled out in pain as Jacques' hand connected with her cheek. "I said I didn't want to hear your excuses. This just proves you are worthless without me. You are truly pathetic."

The young heiress began curling in on herself in fear. **"I'm sorry Father! I'm sorry!"**

Weiss watched the exchange in shock. It was like every fear she had as a child rolled into one. Every scenario she feared as she grew up was playing out right in front of her.

Jacques looked down at her and yelled. "Do not call me that! You are **not** my child. You are an abomination of some lowlife and your whore of a mother."

The copy tensed in fear as he raised his hand to strike her again. The blow never came though as it was stopped by pale, thin fingers latching around his wrist. As the image of Jacques looked up he saw the scowling face of Weiss staring back at him. _"Do. Not. Touch. Her."_

He tried to pull his arm away, but Weiss' grip was like steel. She glared at him with even more anger in her eyes than the time she confronted him for real after the gala. _"I'm glad you are not my Father. I feel sorry that Winter and Whitely have the same blood as you. They deserve better. I thought I was rid of you when I left Atlas, but your words still try to tear me down, and I've had enough. I don't need you. I'm tired of your words poisoning my thoughts. I'm **done**. Now...GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!"_

With that, Weiss reared back and sent her fist into Jacques' scowling face and his image shattered like glass, disappearing into the void.

Breathing heavily, Weiss heard footsteps approaching. Turning her head, she saw the other image from the mirror. The older woman. The one covered in battle scars. Dressed in scratched and scuffed leather. Myrtenaster at her waist. Her long white hair in a tight braid over her shoulder. Scar over her eye. Her gills proudly on display for all to see.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. _"Where were you when I needed you?"_

The older woman raised an eyebrow. _**"When did you need me?"**_

As Weiss was about to retort, she stopped. She realized that she had overcome the trial herself. She hadn't needed the help.

The older image grinned. **_"Exactly. You don't need me. You don't need us. We are just figments of your imagination. We are just your indecision and your defiance, and you made us separate beings in your head so you could process your own thoughts easier. You have friends now. Real friends that you can talk to. You don't have to be alone and create imaginary people to discuss your thoughts with."_**

Weiss heard a whimper and looked down at the perfect little heiress at her feet. That wasn't what she saw though. This image was a crying, sobbing mess. Her hair messy, her fancy dress wrinkled, her eyes puffy from crying. She did not mock Weiss. She did not belittle her. She just...laid curled in a ball crying. She lay in the dark sobbing and apologizing.

Apologizing to Winter for not being good enough. Apologizing to Ruby for leaving her. Apologizing to Ren, and Nora, and Yang, and Jaune for dying and leaving them behind. Apologizing to the void that swallowed her voice. This was a sad, broken girl. This was not the voice of doubt that invaded her mind. This was not the harsh puppet. **This** was the angry, sad, terrified girl hiding behind that mask. The one that let Jacques' beliefs change her own in order to survive.

**_"Do you hate her? Hate what you once were?"_ **

Weiss shook her head. _"No. She is a product of how I was raised. She is a victim. I thought she was the voice of doubt...but...she's not. She is the voice that tries to keep me safe. Tries to keep me from being hurt. She is simply my self preservation."_

"She's coming to. I just wish this would go faster."

Weiss looked around again. _"Jaune?"_

"Just be glad you unlocked your Semblance when you did."

"Nora?"

Weiss could hear more voices in the void becoming louder and more clear.

The older woman looked at her. **_"So, what am I then?"_**

Weiss smiled as she looked at the older version of herself. _"My ambition."_

Her defiant side looked off into the void at a distant light before facing her again with a smile. **_"Smart girl. So, ready to get back out there? Your friends are waiting for you."_**

Weiss looked at the girl on the ground. _"Not yet."_

Looking down at the crying figure, Weiss got to her knees and placed her arms around the heiress.

She was rewarded with arms engulfing her and a crying face shoved into her shoulder. **"I'm sorry!"**

Weiss ran her fingers through the messy white locks. _"I know."_

**"I just wanted us to stay safe."**

Weiss nodded. _"I know."_

Muffled words came to her ears between the sobs. **"Please don't leave me. We can just let go. We don't have to fight anymore. We don't have to hurt anymore."**

Weiss smiled. _"I can't die yet. There are people that care for me. Friends that are trying to save me."_

Puffy blue eyes looked up at her. **"We were hurt really bad. It is going to be painful."**

Weiss met those eyes as she thought of her friends. _"It's worth it for them. They're worth any pain I have to suffer."_

That perfect, scar-less face looked at her a few moments more, then closed her eyes and sadly nodded.

Weiss pulled the figure into one last, firm hug. _"Thank you. I understand now.  I know what I need to do."_

**_"You should hurry."_ **

The older woman helped both girls to their feet and looked over at the light. _**"It's time to return to the fight."**_

Weiss looked at the light in the distance and heard the sounds of battle faintly coming from that direction.  She smiled to herself.  _"You're wrong, you know."_

She looked back at the young heiress. The older woman placed a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder, but gave Weiss a strange look.  Weiss smiled.  " _You said I don't need you, but you're wrong.  I do need you.  I need you both.  I just need balance."_

She gave a wry grin.  _"Besides...sometimes I need some intelligent conversation, and who better for that than myself?"_

The older woman laughed out loud and gave Weiss a grin, then looked down at the young heiress.  **_"It's not like we are going anywhere.  We are you, after all."_**

The heiress had her arms wrapped around her stomach, hugging herself, but looked up at the older figure with a thankful smile.  She then turned and gave Weiss a shaky grin. **"Watch your back this time."**

Weiss smirked at the joke and turned back toward the voices, determination on her face as she ran toward the light.  She heard one last whisper in her mind as the light filled her vision.

**"Be careful...please."**

\-----

Weiss groaned as her eyes fluttered open. As her vision cleared she looked up into another set of blue eyes. "Jaune?"

The blonde boy kneeling over her was looking off elsewhere in the room. Weiss heard someone yell out in pain, followed by Nora's voice yelling out Ren's name. Jaune's head turned slightly to the side. "Go! I've got her!"

Weiss' chest hurt, but she took another shallow breath and called out again. "Jaune?"

This time the blonde man looked down at her, concern plain to see on his face. His face was dirty and Weiss could see tear tracks that had run through the grime. His hands were glowing white, but underneath the glow his gloves were stained bright red.

_'That's right. I was stabbed. Yeah...she was right. It really hurts. How am I even still alive?  My aura broke and I was bleeding out.  How...am I getting better?'_

Lifting her head, she looked down to where she was stabbed, expecting to see blood still spilling from her body. Instead, she saw the familiar light blue of her aura glowing across her body, spreading out from the point of the wound. There was a strange white light there too though, blending into the blue. Looking back up to Jaune's hands, she saw that same white light. _'He's...giving me aura?'_

She took another painful breath as she tasted a familiar metallic flavor in her mouth. "What's happening?"

The concern on his face was mirrored in his voice. "You took a heavy hit. You need to stay with me while the others fight."

Her brow furrowed. She didn't want to sit on the sidelines.  She needed to get back out there and help her friends, but the pressure in her chest was starting to get worse, even as her aura was healing her.  She hated feeling helpless, but...he was right.

"That's...annoying..."

Jaune huffed out a breath and shook his head, a relieved smile on his face. "Good to have you back Weiss."

_'Nearly died, and her first thought is that she is annoyed she can't fight yet.  You really are something else, Weiss.'_

Weiss offered him a smile and a chuckle, but as the laugh left her mouth, the pressure in her chest suddenly spiked, and the metallic taste in her mouth renewed as she coughed up fresh blood.

Deep down, Weiss knew she couldn't technically drown in her own blood.  Her body would instinctively open the third tube in her throat that led to her gills.  It would be unpleasant, but the organ would filter any remaining oxygen from the liquid and expel it.  Weiss knew all of this, but in her panic, she flailed her hands out, trying to grab onto something to help herself sit up.  Feeling the touch of metal on her fingertips, she latched onto Jaune's gauntlets and pulled herself up regardless of the near blinding pain the movement caused.  She nearly toppled the surprised blonde as the added weight pulled him off balance.

As she sat up, she felt arms wrap around her in a loose hug, holding her up as she coughed up more blood.  Jaune called out to her in near panic as the red liquid sprayed against his shoulder. "Weiss!? Weiss, are you ok!?"

Warm hands were on her back and she grabbed onto his armor to steady herself as her body painfully tried to clear the fluid from her lungs. Taking quick breaths in between coughing fits, she forced the words out. "Blood...in...lungs."

Jaune just nodded and held her up as his face went strangely calm. "Don't worry. I gotcha. We just have to wait it out. Take as big of breaths as you can. It will speed up the process."

Weiss looked up at him with confusion plain on her face. He gave her a small smile. "First aid is a first year class for team leaders. We learned about pneumonia. Blood is just another fluid.  It's basically the same reaction."

His smile fell into a concerned expression.  "It's...not going to be fun.  I'm sorry."

Weiss nodded and tried to take a deeper breath, being interrupted by another coughing fit as more blood was pushed from her lungs, splattering across his armor. Taking a shuddering breath, she looked up at his face as pain induced tears leaked from her eyes. "Hurts..."

Jaune tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it looked more like a grimace as he looked at the amount of blood staining her lips and dripping down her chin. Looking down on her form, he was confused as to how she survived at all.  She had so much blood staining her clothes and face, it was a surprise she had any left in her small body, and she was still coughing up more.  All he could do was comfort her and keep her aura charged while she suffered through the process. "I know. I gotcha."

The next several minutes were agony for Weiss.  Every coughing fit brought about a new wave of pain from her injury.  The flesh, muscle, and bone were knitted by her aura's healing, but soreness and pain had to fade on their own.  She was not going to be fighting anytime soon, but hearing her friends fighting made her all the more desperate to help **somehow**. Among the sounds of bullets flying and blades clashing, Weiss heard a man roar, followed by Nora's angry screaming and something smashing through wood as boards clattered to the floor. "What happened?"

Jaune chuckled. "Someone pissed off Nora."

Weiss smiled as she coughed a few more times. Blood was still coming from her mouth, but it was minuscule compared to the torture of the last few minutes. The best news she had since waking up was the fact she could take full breaths now.  A new sound came to her ears as she looked toward the windows.  She could hear engines rumbling outside along with sirens while lights shined through the windows. "Wait...what is that?  I hear airships."

Jaune looked up at the windows. "I'm not sure. How are you feeling?"

Weiss looked over her shoulder at the battle raging in the room. "Alive."

_'I need to help.'_

With a determined look on her face that allowed no room for argument, she met his eyes. "Jaune, help me up."

He gave her a concerned look as he draped her arm over his shoulder and helped her to her feet as she held her injured side, gritting her teeth at the pain. _'_ **'** **You're in no condition to be fighting.  You need to rely on your glyphs.  Stay back and support.'**

Pulling her free hand from her side, Weiss summoned a glyph. She blinked in surprise as she felt the rush of Aura travel down her arm and the glyph flashed with a strength it didn't normally have. Jaune's hands were still glowing as he pushed aura into her. "Can you fight?"

A smile adorned her face as she looked at him. "I have my glyphs. How's your aura holding up?"

Jaune smiled. "I'll be ok."

Looking around, Weiss spotted her sword on the ground near the elevator to the vault. "I need Myrtenaster."

Jaune nodded and the pair made their way to the stairs. Hobbling over to her sword with his help, Weiss grimaced as her muscles screamed out in protest.  Gently extracting her arm from his shoulder, she forced herself to stand upright as Jaune grabbed her rapier.   Weiss took advantage of the aura boost she was getting and joined her hands together, a glyph appearing behind her on the floor. Pulling her hands apart and slowly stretching her arms out to her sides, the glyph increased to proportions she had rarely attained before as a loud buzzing sound came over the room. As Jaune handed her Myrtenaster, she gave him a grin. "You might want to stand clear."

Jaune gave her a worried glance and she knew he saw the pain she was hiding behind her expression.  Looking at the giant glyph behind her, he gave a reluctant nod and ran off to check on the others as a Queen Lancer erupted from the floor, kicking up dust and debris with its wings. Weiss saw Yang fighting Mercury and Ruby taking on Emerald as her eyes scanned to room. Finally her eyes landed on the large man that Nora had sent through the wall and her face took on a feral image. _'Let's see how you like being impaled...'_

Commanding her summon, the Lancer sent out its deadly tail hook, the spike slamming through the man's back and sticking out his front, yanking him back into the building where he slammed into the floor.  She was quite surprised to see him not collapsing like she had.  His wound healed faster than she could imagine.  _'How is his aura regenerating so quickly?'_

The man looked over his shoulder as Mercury and Emerald's gazes followed, focusing on her.

In fact, everyone's gazes fell on her as she looked over the room. Despite her small stature, she looked quite intimidating, hair blowing in the strong wind of the summon, covered in her own blood, but still standing defiantly. Taking her sleeve, she wiped the blood from her mouth. While her sleeve did come away red, the action mostly smeared blood across her cheek like warpaint. Her eyes promised death as she stared down the enemy.  Hazel looked surprised to see her standing.  Weiss got a sick sense of enjoyment when she saw that Mercury and Emerald actually looked fairly unsettled by the sight.

Weiss caught new moment at the entrance to the building and she gasped when she saw a familiar face. Everyone's eyes followed her's as they saw one of the last people any of them expected to see.

Blake Belladonna stood in the entrance staring in awe at a blood soaked Weiss Schnee before a head of yellow hair drew her attention. The cat Faunus' went wide as she looked at her partner. "Yang?"

\-----

Yang was frozen in place. _'She's...here. What is Blake doing here? How did she get here? Where has she been?'_

Before any of those questions could be asked, Ruby interrupted her thoughts with a more important problem, pointing toward the elevator and yelling to her sister. "Yang! The Relic!"

Snapping free of her thoughts, Yang immediately turned and sprinted for the tunnel. She and Blake had a lot that needed said, but that would have to wait. Barely dodging Emerald's dive to stop her, she quickly sidestepped Mercury, but he managed to get a grip on her robotic arm. Her eyes flashed red as she looked at him.

_'I'm going to kick your- No. Relic first.'_

Between one breath and the next, in the literal blink of her eyes, the red faded to lilac as she calmed herself. The whirl of gears sounded out as her arm shot free, throwing Mercury off balance as she ran to the edge, leaping down the hole into the unknown.

\-----

As Emerald got to her feet and ran after Yang, Weiss spun her sword to ice Dust, a wall of cold growing around the hole, blocking their path. As they turned and looked at her, Weiss spit blood off to the side in a very unladylike fashion, fixing them with her iciest glare. **"You. Aren't. Going. Anywhere."**

The battleground once again erupted into chaos. Luckily, teams RWBY and JNPR thrived in organized chaos. As the two teenagers tensed to attack Weiss, they suddenly both dodged to the side as one of Nora's grenades hit the wall they were just standing next to. Before they could counter, Mercury was forced to dodge as Ren opened fire and Ruby used her scythe to propel herself over next to Weiss, firing at Emerald and forcing the green haired woman to retreat next to Hazel along with Mercury, pinning the three between the police outside and the three groups of huntsman that had them surrounded.

While Ozpin and Qrow kept Professor Lionheart occupied, Nora and Ren rained down fire on the enemy while Jaune used his shield to protect his team. Ruby looked over at her girlfriend as she reloaded another clip into Crescent Rose. "Weiss? How are you holding up?"

Weiss was standing tall and using her glyphs to bombard the enemy while she let her summon act on it's own as it dodged Hazel's Dust powered attacks and firing spikes that the large man just kept tanking. "I'm ok."

She might have not been showing it in front of the enemy, but Weiss was still in a lot of pain.  Ruby knew it too.  Weiss' forehead was beaded with sweat and her breathing was harsh. Her stance was so stiff it looked like she might topple if she tried to move.  Weiss was using pure will power to keep herself from coughing more as she kept up her attacks.  If she did, she was certain the pain would make her drop.

The moment her newest clip was loaded, Ruby spun her scythe in front of Weiss, deflecting bullets from Emerald's guns. With a scowl she lined up a shot and fired straight at the green haired girl's head. The girl leaned back with wide eyes as the bullet missed her face by less than an inch. Ruby's murderous gaze matched her girlfriend's as she scowled at her target.

_'No one touches my Weiss.'_

When Ozpin and Qrow ducked behind a pillar for a moment, Weiss ordered her Lancer to attack Lionheart. The man used his shield to block the flying spines and sent a wave of fire from his weapon, making the summon rear back. Hazel took the opening to send lighting and fire blasts at the construct and Weiss looked on in disbelief as her summon was so easily destroyed. Her worry was short lived as a figure came flying through the dissipating energy, kicking Hazel in the face with enough force to send him onto his back.  Weiss watched as Blake skid to a stop next the Ruby.

The couple both looked at Blake with surprised expressions as the cat Faunus turned to Weiss, her gold eyes going wide in concern as she looked at the blood covered ex-heiress. "Oh my god Weiss!  Are you ok?!"

Weiss was snapped out of her haze and shook her head, trying to give her friend a smile. "I'll be fine."

Blake looked skeptical, then turned toward the trio approaching them with a scowl.  "Who's ass needs kicked?"

Weiss blinked.  "I..don't remember you normally being this aggressive..."

As Ruby cycled another round into her gun and looked back at the enemy, Blake's face showed nothing but determination as she flicked her wrist, Gambol Shroud's gun shifting back into a sword as Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury stalked forward. "I am today."

Weiss blinked at how different the Blake in front of her was since the last time they saw each other. **_'Think about that later. Fight now.'_**

Weiss nodded and slid her left foot back, holding Myrtenaster behind her as she cycled to fire Dust, holding her right hand out as she prepared to summon glyphs.  She would fight to protect her family, no matter how much pain she was in. "Alright. What's the plan Ruby?"

Ruby smirked at her before spinning and firing a shot, hitting Lionheart in the shoulder and breaking his aura. The cowardly man grabbed his shoulder in pain as Ruby gave him a smug look, cycling another round. The man's face showed panic, and he fled through another door deeper into the school.

Mercury's face showed disgust as he complained. "You've got to be kidding me..."

Hazel had a slightly different reaction to the fleeing ally and let out an angry roar, causing both teens to look at him in concern.

Ruby gave her girlfriend a quick glance, noticing how much pain she was hiding behind her expression. Looking over Weiss' shoulder, Ruby nodded once and then focused on the enemy. "Keep the pressure on them."

Catching Blake's eye, Ruby grinned.  "Ladybug!"

As Ruby and Blake sped off toward Mercury, Weiss summoned glyphs, launching fire at Emerald. The green haired woman dodged the projectiles and returned fire as Hazel prepared to fire at Ruby. 

As Weiss braced for the attack, she was surprised to see pink smoke erupt from Hazel as he was blasted by more of Nora's grenades, stopping him from firing as Blake slid past him, engaging Mercury. At the same time a gold and white figure slid to a stop in front of Weiss as Jaune placed himself in the line of fire, deflecting Emerald's attack with his shield as Ren opened fire on the girl, taking the pressure off of the white haired Faunus. The blonde haired man looked over his shoulder with a determined expression as their eyes met. "I got you covered."  
  
Weiss gave the man a smile in thanks and focused on the enemy again, mercilessly launching ice spikes and fireballs as Jaune stood between her and the enemy like a wall of steel.

Weiss was running low on Dust, and no doubt everyone in the room was running out of ammunition, friend and foe alike. This battle would end soon, one way or another.

Teams RWBY and JNPR threw everything they had at the three, bullets, grenades, and fireballs pushing the enemy further and further back until they had nowhere left to retreat to. When Hazel tried to attack Nora, he would be stopped by Weiss' glyph. When Emerald tried to use her semblance on Ruby, Blake would break her concentration. When Mercury tried to hit Blake, he would be rewarded with bullets from Ren's guns in his back. Any attack against Weiss would be met by Jaune's shield.

Despite the fatigue everyone was suffering, the enemy was suffering the worst from it. It was a six on three battle, and teams RWBY and JNPR had the added advantage of a fresh fighter in the form of Blake while Jaune was well rested other than low aura from helping Weiss, allowing him to tank anything thrown at them.

Eventually, Mercury was dropped to his knees and even Hazel's seemingly endless stamina wore thin. Ruby ordered an end to the assault when Mercury dropped. Despite her anger, she didn't truly want to kill any of them. "Enough! Just give up."

Hazel had a look on his face that said he knew they had lost. Mercury growled and slammed his fist to the floor in anger. It was obvious that he didn't want to give up, but knew they couldn't win. Emerald held no such belief though. "This isn't over! Cinder will come back, she'll have the Relic, and she'll stop all of you! She won't let us down."

Weiss could almost admire Emerald's dedication. She trusted Ruby, but she also knew how to think for herself, and Ruby was a better leader because she listened to those she commanded. Cinder never allowed anyone to question her.

In the quiet following Emerald's speech, everyone's eyes turned to the hole in the floor as the sound of the elevator rumbled from underground.

Weiss tensed as she remembered the pain of the spear that Cinder had struck her with and watched the hole with apprehension. Emerald's had look of hope disappeared while the tension of the Beacon teams bled away into smiles as a familiar head of blonde hair appeared from the tunnel.

Yang's triumphant grin brought a smile to Weiss' face as she stood looking at everyone. The happy reunion was disrupted when Emerald's weapons slipped from her hands, clattering to the floor as she dropped to her knees. From where she was standing, Weiss could hear the woman's barely held back sobs and saw the tears hitting the floor as she held herself up on her hands and knees.

Mercury and Hazel started slowly backing away while the silver haired man tried to quietly get his partner's attention. "Emerald, get up. We need to go."

The green haired woman didn't seem to hear him as she sat up looking around with wild eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. Mercury spoke up louder as he glanced at everyone nervously. "Emerald!"

Weiss felt the tiniest bit of pity for the woman, but that was quickly squashed by the knowledge of all the harm she had willingly caused. With her anger gone and a clear mind, Weiss no longer wanted this woman dead. She just wanted her locked away so she couldn't hurt anyone anymore. As Weiss prepared to summon glyphs to capture the three, Emerald put her hands to her head and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Without warning, Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel disappeared from sight as the room grew dark, red lights hovering in the air and a strange fog covering the room. A cloud of pitch black smoke appeared on the floor and began to swirl. As the group watched, the smoke stretched up to the ceiling before taking the shape of a woman.

Weiss had never seen any of the like before. The woman's skin was stark white. Not extremely pale like Weiss' own. Her skin was unnaturally white like her hair, with black veins running across her face and down her arms. The most terrifying part of her visage was the pitch black eyes with red pupils that held nothing but hate in them.

Weiss looked at the visage and found her heart filled with pure terror. As the monstrous woman shrieked and flew at them, Weiss saw Blake and Ruby curl in on themselves in fear as she shut her eyes, defiantly pointing her sword at the incoming monster as she prepared to have her life end.

After several moments, nothing happened. Weiss opened her eyes to an empty room. No monster. No strange lights. No enemies. She saw Ruby shaking in fear next to her as the young huntress looked around the room. Blake was the first to speak up with wide eyes as she looked at them. "Wha- What was that?"

"An illusion."

Everyone turned to Ozpin as he tiredly leaned on his cane, looking at them. "But an accurate one."

He took a deep breath. "That...was Salem."

Weiss was pretty sure that she would be seeing that face in her nightmares for quite some time. While it was just one more to add to the collection, she was certain that it was definitely the worst of the bunch. For now though, she didn't want to think about that. She had more important things to worry about, like her girlfriend standing next her. She took Ruby's hand in her own and blushed as the brunette gave her a kiss on her cheek. As long as her friends were safe, everything would be ok.

Qrow was speaking to Yang as she handed him the Relic. Cinder had vanished, Vernal was dead, and Raven was gone. Weiss smiled though. Her friends were all still alive and here with her, and that is what mattered.

As everyone relaxed, Ruby suddenly dropped to her knees. Weiss hissed in pain and grabbed her side as she dropped to her own in order to catch her partner, speaking with worry plain in her voice. "Are you ok!?"

Ruby took an exhausted breath and looked at her with a tired smile. "I feel like I should be asking you guys."

As the adrenaline faded away, Weiss couldn't hold back the urge anymore and coughed again, tiny speckles of red leaving her mouth as she screwed her eyes shut at the pain.  Forcing herself to take a deep breath once the pain faded to something manageable, she looked at Ruby's worried face and gave a weak smile.  "To be honest...I feel like shit, but I'll live."

Ruby snorted once at that as she looked up as Blake walked up to them and Yang dropped to her knees next to her sister. "So Blake, what are you doing here?"

Blake looked down, shame plain on her face as she held onto one of her arms. She gave a weak smile and shrugged. "I...I was going to ask you the same thing."

Ruby looked at Yang, then turned her gaze to Weiss with a smile before looking back up at their teammate. "That's...a looong story."

Blake looked at them shyly as she shrugged again. "Well...I'm not going anywhere."

Weiss couldn't help but smile at that as she looked at Ruby again. The girl shrugged. "Well, that's all that matters." Ruby met Weiss' smile. "That we're all here together."

Ruby turned a hopeful gaze to her sister. "Right?"

Weiss' smile turned to a worried frown seeing the sad look on Yang's face. _'Come on Yang. Don't turn her away. I know you care.'_

Weiss glance at Blake out of the corner of her eye and saw that look of shame on her face. Her cat ears drooping low on her head just made it all the more obvious how she felt. Yang apparently saw this as well. Her frown slowly became a sad smile as she nodded her head a few times as she came to a decision. "Yeah."

Blake's ears perked back up and a small smile graced her lips. Next to her, Ruby smiled and Weiss couldn't keep the grin from her face as happy tears came to her eyes as she held her arm out in invitation.

The cat Faunus' eyes started to water as she rushed forward, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around Weiss and Yang, the four touching their foreheads together and enveloping each other in their arms.

Weiss hissed in pain as Blake's arm jarred her shoulder, pulling on her sore chest muscles. Blake started to pull away in alarm with an apology on her lips, but Weiss just pulled her back in, ignoring any discomfort she felt. "Hush. No apologies."

Blake didn't move for a moment or two, but then relaxed into the hug. Weiss couldn't help the happy tears falling from her eyes. She didn't mind though. She wasn't the only one with misty eyes. "It's good to have you back Blake."

The cat Faunus let out a tearful laugh. "It's good to be back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note. This is technically the end of Volume 5, but I have a lot of original chapters of post Vol 5/Pre Vol 6 to post before we get back into the canon-ish stuff. I've wrote a lot of stuff, but it was never properly organized into the timeline. On top of that, I'm reworking major parts of these new chapters to make pacing better and adding in new elements beyond what I originally planned.
> 
> The end result of all of that? Updates will be kind of sporadic going forward. Chapters will still be posted on Saturdays, but I can't guarantee how often the posts will be made. I'm getting into some pretty in depth conversations and adding lots of new elements and ideas and I have to figure out how all of that is going to piece together properly. There is a lot of people to deal with now, and making sure I'm not ignoring any of them will take some planning.
> 
> So, that being said, if you guys have fun ideas that you think would be good for the story, now is the time to speak up. If I like the idea and it fits, I'll probably find a way to add it.
> 
> One last thing: I haven't' forgotten about the RWBY/Skyrim fic or the RWBY sisters fic that I plan on writing. (Among the other 18 or so fics I have ideas for). It's just that as my ability to write has gotten better, I'm expanding on my original ideas so now writing this story takes a lot more time. I'm still dabbling with the other 2 stories and jotting down lots of notes for each, just any major work on them has ground to a halt in favor of the monstrosity this story has become. :)


	15. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her string of near death experiences, is Weiss' luck finally turning around?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weiss' mother doesn't have an official canon name, but nearly all fics I've read name her Willow. So, until an official name comes out for her, she shall be Willow in this story. Also, like I said before, lots of canon divergence ahead. I don't have an exact count, but I'm predicting at least 5 original chapters before we hit Volume 6.

Weiss knelt there hugging her team....her real family. She couldn't help but smile. Blake would explain herself in due time, but for now she only cared for being with the ones she loved.

"Chief Belladonna!"

Weiss heard the giant of a man that she assumed was Blake's father speak to the man that had just run in.

"What is it, Galeo?"

Ruby and Blake both felt Weiss tense up, then looked at her in confusion when she pulled away from them and stared toward the door.

Ruby looked at her worriedly. "Weiss?"

Weiss didn't seem to hear her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in shock.

_'It can't be...'_

\-----

Blake turned around to see what had caught Weiss' attention. She saw one of the new house guards speaking to her father. While she figured the others couldn't make out what was being said, Blake heard it all loud and clear. Galeo was informing her father that the White Fang members had been taken to jail and the bombs were being removed from the tower. Blake took a closer look at the man. He had a mouth full of sharp teeth and when he moved his arms, she could see open panels in the sides of his armor, covered in a black mesh. That was not normal for the armor of town guards. It looked oddly familiar though.

Her attention was pulled from the interaction when she saw Weiss pulling something from the pouch on her belt. It was a folded sheet of paper. It looked to be a photo of some kind, but she was sitting at the wrong angle to see what is contained. Weiss was looking from it to 'Galeo' and back again.

\-----

Weiss could hardly believe it. She had found him. The odds were nearly impossible, but her real father had just walked through the door. Despite how much Weiss said 'gods', she was never a very religious person. Of course, if Ozpin was to be believed, the Tale of the Two Brothers was true, so maybe she should stop that.

Regardless, after all the bad luck she had before, she couldn't help but thank whatever higher being was out there that finally gave her a break. Despite almost being killed four separate times in the last two months, she had escaped from Atlas, reunited with her closest friends again, was dating a girl she loved, and now found her birth father. The man was obviously older than the one in the photo, but it was certainly the same person. The hair. The orange eyes. The sharp teeth. The name matched too. It couldn't be a coincidence. She had to jump at the opportunity.

_'I-I have to talk to him.'_

Weiss quickly tried to stand up, but hissed again in pain as her chest muscles protested her movements. All three members of team JNPR looked over at her in worry, Jaune even taking a half step toward them while Ruby gently supported her girlfriend, face also filled with worry.

"Weiss? What's wrong?"

Weiss looked from Ruby to the group of Faunus by the door, then back to the brunette. Her eyes pleaded for help and there was an urgency in her voice. "Ruby. Help me up."

The young leader's face was still painted with worry, but she didn't question the request. Weiss kept looking toward the door and the group of Faunus standing there as Ruby placed Weiss' arm over her shoulder to support her weight as they stood up.

Blake watched Weiss with concern.  Not a minute ago, everything was fine.  Now, Weiss was suddenly trying to get to her feet as soon as she saw the new Faunus in the room.  _'Does she know them?  Is he a victim of the stuff her Father did?  Is she going to run?  She doesn't look...scared.  More like she is...nervous?'_

Blake continued to watch her friend in confusion as the girl started moving **toward** the group.

Weiss was half hunched over and holding her injured side, but started shuffling her way over to the group, nearly dragging Ruby along with her in her haste.

She watched as the man that was almost certainly her father finished whatever it was he was saying to Blake's father, then turned to leave. She panicked.

_'Nononono! I can't let him get away!'_

So...Weiss did the only thing she could think of.

"Mr. Henle! Wait!"

\-----

Galeo had just finished his report to Chief Belladonna. After Ghiria took in the information, he told Galeo to check in with Illia to make sure everyone in the militia was accounted for and any injured were taken care of. As he turned to head back out the door, he was surprised to hear a young woman's voice call out. "Mr. Henle! Wait!"

Upon hearing his name, Galeo turned and got his first real good look at the room. There was destruction everywhere. A massive battle had happened here, especially based on the giant hole in the wall. Whatever happened in here, it was even more intense than the battle with the White Fang.

As he looked around he noticed the others in the room. There was Blake Belladonna standing next to a blonde human woman missing an arm. A young child was laying next to an older man with a large sword. A group of three humans stood nearby. A young woman with bright orange hair wearing a skirt, with a taller man with long black hair and a green coat standing next to her. Next to them was a tall blonde man with red splattered across his armor. _'That is worrying. Someone got injured here, badly.'_

All three of them were looking over at something elsewhere in the room with expressions of worry. Following their gazes, his eyes honed in on a girl with white hair and blue eyes. He was surprised to see she was staring directly at him. The look of relief that came over her face when he made eye contact with her let him know that she was the one that had called out.

The strange girl was dressed in whites and blues and was armed just like the others in the room. She looked nervous and was approaching them. Another girl in black and red with a red cloak was holding her up, looking worried. Galeo was a little worried too. It didn't take his enhanced sense of smell to recognize what he saw. The white haired girl had a large tear in her shirt surrounded by a bloodstain that covered nearly half her body in red. Glancing back to the young man in the armor, it became clear that they were allies, and this young woman had been tended to him at some point.

_'Perhaps he is a medic?'_

Looking back toward the woman, Galeo frowned. In addition to the red staining her clothes, she also had blood on her face and mouth that had been hastily wiped away and smeared across her features. If she didn't look so nervous, the sight would be almost scary.

\-----

Yang looked at Blake. "What is Weiss doing?"

Blake kept watching the ex-heiress. Weiss was holding onto her side. Still wet, sticky blood clinging to the blue leather and...black...mesh...

Looking back and forth between Weiss and Galeo, Blake gasped at the realization.

_'Sharp teeth...black mesh in his armor like Weiss' corset... Could it be?'_

"I think...she may have just found her dad..."

Yang gasped and watched as Ruby gently helped the ex-heiress over to the group of Faunus.  "What?"

Blake looked back at her partner.  "I think he is a shark Faunus, and it looks like Weiss recognizes him."

Yang's brows scrunched up.  "I thought she didn't know anything about him?"

Blake shrugged.  "She's been at home for months.  Maybe she found out something?"

Yang looked back at Weiss and her sister.  "Who is he?"

Blake frowned.  "The White Fang attacked my parents and lots of the guards were injured.  He is one of the city patrols promoted to house guard."

She turned back to Yang.  "His name is Galeo.  He's my mom's new personal bodyguard."

\-----

Weiss let out a relieved breath when Galeo stopped leaving and turned toward her. Her nerves spiked though when his gaze met her's. He looked worried. _'Does he know I'm his? What is he like? Will he like me? Will he hate me? Will he be like Yang's mom and not care?'_

When the girls made it to the group of Faunus, Weiss pulled herself away from Ruby and stood up straight, trying to ignore the pain from her recently healed impalement and looking into his orange eyes.

"Um..Mr. Henle?"

The Faunus looked concerned, but nodded.

Now that she was standing before him, Weiss started to panic internally. She didn't have a plan. In her haste to get him to not leave, she neglected to think about how she was going to talk to him. She had no idea how to approach this.

_'Hi, I'm Weiss Schnee, and I'm your daughter.... Hello, did you know a Willow Schnee?.... Hi, I'm Weiss Schnee. Did you bang my mom nineteen years ago?.... '_

Weiss blinked in surprise at herself.  ' _Wow_ , _I think Yang is rubbing off on me....'_

**'Start simple.'**

Taking a breath to calm herself, Weiss gave him a polite smile. "Hello, my name is Weiss. I'm one of Blake's teammates. Do...you have a moment to talk?"

Galeo opened his mouth to reply, but another voice rang out over the room.

"DAD!"

Weiss and Galeo both turned to look as a blonde girl that looked roughly Ruby's age ran up and hugged the man.

Galeo looked relieved and hugged her back. "Requiem. You're safe."

The girl pulled away from Galeo and looked him in the eye. "What are you doing here? I heard rumors that an army of White Fang was at the Academy. What happened?"

The older Faunus looked down at his daughter. "We got word that Haven was going to be attacked by the White Fang. We came to help stop them."

\-----

As the two Faunus spoke with each other, Weiss suddenly felt like she was intruding and turned her head to look away. She started stepping back to give them more privacy.

_'Should I do this? Does he even know I'm his? I don't want to mess up the life he has now.'_

**_'You've wondered about this all your life. You want this. Don't pass up this chance. You need to talk to him.'_ **

**'He has a family other than you. Be careful how you approach this.'**

Taking a breath to steady her nerves again, Weiss knew her mind was made up. If the conflicting parts of her mind were actually agreeing on something, that just meant she was absolutely sure she wanted this. However, she found herself distracted by another voice before she could act. "Miss Schnee. Are you ok?"

Weiss quickly turned her head to look at the woman who spoke to her. She was as short as Weiss was and had a look of concern on her face. Weiss' eyes went to the top of her head and she saw the cat ears that looked like Blake's.

Distracted by her internal conflict, Weiss didn't quite comprehend what the lady meant. "Um....yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?"

The woman, Chief Belladonna, and Sun gave her strange concerned looks. Sun, ever the 'polite helper' that he was, looked her over and pointed toward his own mouth. "You've got something..."

Weiss' eyes went wide and she quickly turned around, trying to clean herself up. She could feel the blood on her teeth too and used the sleeve of her jacket to scrub herself clean.   _'Oh Gods! Here I am, finally meeting my dad, and I'm a bloody, beaten mess! I probably look like I mauled somebody with my teeth!'_

She turned toward Ruby with a pleading look. Her young leader took her chin in her hand and using her cloak, she finished touching up Weiss' face, then giving her a smile and a nod. Weiss flushed in embarrassment. She was an adult, a huntress, and here in front of everyone her girlfriend was cleaning her face like Klein did when she was a child.

Weiss turned back around and gave the woman a smile. She didn't dare show her teeth. They were probably still red. The woman just chuckled as Weiss' lips kept puffing out as her tongue constantly ran over her teeth in an attempt to clean the blood off. Sun looked amused, but was polite enough to not laugh at the strange action from Weiss. He had been on the receiving end of her glares enough for one lifetime. Blake's father was the only one Sun had seen that could out glare the Ice Queen.

The older cat Faunus gave her a smile. "Hello. My name is Kali Belladonna. I'm Blake's mom. Her friend Sun has told me a lot about you and your team. It is a pleasure to meet you miss Schnee."

Weiss nodded her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you too Mrs. Belladonna."

"Schnee?"

Weiss quickly looked over to see the blonde girl named Requiem looking at her. Weiss gave the girl a quick once over. She was Weiss's height and had blonde hair down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a brilliant green, almost like Pyrrha's, and her skin was lightly tanned like Blake. She was wearing a green sleeveless shirt with a white waist length jacket. Knee length black pants with black knee high combat boots. She had what appeared to be tonfa batons crossed across her lower back and Weiss could see the Dust cylinders embedded in them. One looked to hold fire dust, while the other had lightning dust. She looked to be a Huntress in training like herself. Her attire was eerily close to Weiss' own, now that she thought about it.

Making sure her expression was polite, she addressed the girl looking at her. "Yes?"

Requiem looked at her with an unreadable expression. "I watched you in the Vytal tournament. You're not half bad. Pretty gutsy too."

Weiss suddenly understood how Ruby felt meeting Winter. "Um...Thank you?"

Requiem looked at her a little closer. "Never expected to see the Schnee heiress here. Figured you would still be relaxing at home since the borders were closed."

Weiss was about to protest, but someone beat her to it...

"Hey! Weiss isn't like that! She's a good person and an awesome huntress!"

Weiss jumped at Ruby's outburst.

The blonde girl raised an eyebrow at Ruby.

Weiss sighed and looked over at her girlfriend. "Ruby..It's ok. I'm used to this treatment. Jacques went to great lengths to make it look like the Schnee family was undivided."

She sighed. "And to be fair, I did used to be a bit like him once."

Ruby wasn't having it though. "Yeah, but that was before. You're not him. You're better than that now! Hell, he took the company away from you just because you stood up to him. He tried to control you! He kept you prisoner in your own room!"

There were multiple gasps from those around her as Weiss realized that without the CCT, no one from Menagerie would know that she was no longer the heiress. Weiss looked up at Requiem and Galeo and took a deep breath. She may as well get it out now. The secret didn't really matter anymore. Who cares if Blake's family knew? Hell, Blake might have told them for all Weiss knew. Might as well just get it out in the open now. Before she could speak though, Galeo found his voice.

"Schnee? Are you Willow's daughter?"

Weiss gasped in surprise. She didn't think he would be the one to bring it up. "You...knew my mother?"

**_'Of course he knew her.  What kind of silly question is that?'_ **

**'Doesn't mean he would remember her.  It's been nearly twenty years after all.'**

Galeo nodded. "I met her once, a long time ago."

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Weiss took a chance. "Almost twenty years ago?"

Galeo blinked in confusion. "She...mentioned me?"

Weiss shook her head and held out the picture to him. "I just found out your name two months ago."

He took the picture and looked at it in confusion as he saw the much younger version of himself standing next to a young woman with long white hair. He recognized her immediately as Willow Schnee. His attention was brought back when Weiss spoke his name.

"Mr. Henle?"

He looked up to see her nervously looking at him. Ruby, the slightly taller girl dressed in red and black placed her hand on the Schnee's shoulder and gave her a smile. The young woman took another breath.

"How did you know my mother?"

Galeo looked up at the ceiling. "When I was younger, I used to work in a mine in Mantle. Your mother was touring the location and there was an accident. Part of a tunnel collapsed and I pushed her out of the way so she didn't get crushed. I got caught under a rock and broke my leg. Your mother made sure I got to a hospital and even paid my medical bills to thank me for saving her. The company might not have treated us very well, but she was a very kind woman. She even visited me while I was recovering."

Weiss found a small smile gracing her lips. So far, this man seemed a good sort. "So, you had a good relationship with each other?"

Galeo smiled. "Oh, yes. We became good friends. She was a wonderful woman. How is she?"

Weiss' good mood dropped off immediately as she looked at the floor sadly. "She is...not well..."

She looked up nervously. "Mr. Henle. May I speak to you in private for a moment?"

Galeo nodded and followed her a short ways away from the group of Faunus. Weiss was too nervous to notice the blonde girl watching her suspiciously.

Ruby looked up at Ghira. "You're Blake's dad?"

The giant of a man looked down at her with a smile. "I am indeed, and you must be Ruby. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"You're HUGE!" Ruby exclaimed in awe before she suddenly went wide eyed and cleared her throat. "Um..I mean, it is a pleasure to meet you too."

The smaller cat Faunus next to him laughed. "Oh, you are just adorable! I see why your friends like you so much."

Ruby blushed at that, but her attention was diverted by a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Requiem looking at her. "Do you know why she wants to talk to my dad?"

Ruby wasn't quite sure what to say as she glanced over at her girlfriend walking away from her, somehow walking like she was only mildly inconvenienced by her injury. Weiss could be so stubborn sometimes. "Um...maybe, but I'm not sure. I'm sure we'll find out pretty soon."

In reality, Ruby had her suspicions about who the man was. If Weiss' mother was friends with a Faunus man from barely a year before Weiss was born and Weiss just found out his name a couple months ago, it didn't take an airship engineer to guess who he might be.

\-----

Galeo followed the young woman next to him as she held her bloody side and forced herself to stand up straight as she walked. He looked at her worriedly. "Miss Schnee? Are you ok? Do you need some help?"

Weiss took a breath and gave him a grateful smile. "Just sore from a recent injury. I'll be ok."

The older Faunus was a little worried. The girl walking next to him was obviously injured, but didn't want any help. He took a deep breath through his nose to calm his worries. A tangy, metallic smell invaded his nostrils and his stomach growled in response. He intended to pretend that it never happened and hope she didn't hear, or just say he hadn't eaten in a while if she said anything, but was surprised when the white haired girl next to him snorted as she held back a laugh.

\-----

Weiss just couldn't help herself. She knew exactly why she heard that noise. _'Like Fath...Like dad, like daughter...'_

**'The evidence looks good, but make sure that he really is your dad. You have to be positive before letting him know.'**

Weiss knew what she needed to do, but she **really** didn't want to ask what was essentially a stranger **that** question.

_'I guess the Yang method is what I have to do after all...maybe with a little more tact though...'_

\-----

As the pair came to a stop, Galeo looked down at the Schnee girl as she seemed to struggle with what she wanted to say. He was about to ask when she seemed to come to a decision. "Mr. Henle. This is...kind of a personal question, but...when you spent time with my mother...did you two....ever get....intimate?"

Galeo's eyes went wide and he suddenly had trouble making eye contact with the young lady in front of him.  He didn't miss how she seemed to cringe at her own question.  "That..is indeed a very personal question..."

He looked down at her face and saw her pleading look, then he sighed as he looked away again. "Your mother and I had a...romantic relationship for a time."

Finally gathering the courage to look her in the eye once more, he was surprised to see that she had a small smile on her face as she looked up at him. The smile settled into a slight frown.  "Why did you leave?"

He frowned too. "It was never meant to last. I loved your mother and I truly believe she loved me back, but she was a married woman, and your father was getting suspicious of her constantly disappearing to meet me."

Galeo didn't miss the young woman flinch when he said the word 'father', but continued anyway. He knew Jacques Schnee wasn't a good person. He remembered Willow telling him about how Jacques wasn't always the warmest person to her or her daughter Winter.  "We decided it would be best to break it off. Also, I wasn't able to work in the mines anymore. Dust exposure is bad enough on it's own..."

The man gestured to the missing panels in his armor. "...but I also have gills, so it was even worse for me, but I really had no other options. Your mother gave me enough money to move to Menagerie and get settled. I could start over fresh there and Mr. Schnee couldn't get to me if he found out. We both decided it was for the best."

While he spoke, the white haired girl in front of him kept nodding like she was satisfied with his answer. When he finished, she gave him a smile. She looked like a sweet girl. The young woman reminded him of Willow back when he knew her. Weiss finally spoke again. "She did love you. I believe that."

Galeo smiled. He never doubted that, but it was still nice to hear. He still wondered why Willow's daughter was asking him all of this though. He frowned as he thought about that more.  The young woman said that Willow was not well.  _'Is she sick?  Does she want me to come visit her?'_

His worry lessened when he saw Weiss' face take on a content look as she faced him. "Mr. Henle...there is a reason I was given that photo.  My mother wanted me to be able to find you someday, and knowing you loved her back makes this much easier."

Galeo tilted his head in confusion. "Makes what easier?"

Weiss took a calming breath as she removed her jacket and then reached down to the zipper on the side of her corset. She grimaced in pain as she removed the leather item showing off her tank top and the open panels that revealed the gills on her torso.

His eyes went wide at the sight as she looked at him with a nervous smile.

"Mr. Henle, I'm your daughter..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that. Weiss' dad makes an appearance...and what is this? He has another child? Wonder what kind of drama is going to unfold?
> 
> (On a side note, I know her dad showing up right now could be considered plot convenience, but the only other place I could realistically place him had way too many other things going on at the same time, so in this quiet, post battle setting was the best place to put the interaction. I did a complete rewrite of his character a few times, but having him be a house guard for the Belladonnas helped string a lot of his character traits together and helps to make more sense of why he was the one to show up, as opposed to any other of the hundred or so Faunus in the militia.)
> 
> Final note: Updates will still be sporadic from here on out.


	16. Sibling Rivalry and Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss still battles with her family's reputation, but things are hopeful...and at the end of the day, what is bothering your friends might not be exactly what you think it is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Blood and descriptions of death. (This will be a running thing for a little while, but warnings will still be placed at the beginning of any chapter containing them.)

"Mr. Henle. I'm your daughter..."

  
Requiem didn't catch the conversation the Schnee girl was having with her father, but she did hear **that** , and her head snapped around toward the pair so fast, her hair smacked Ruby in the face.

  
"Hey!" The brunette shouted indignantly.

  
As Requiem looked at the pair, she saw that the white haired girl had removed her jacket and corset. Her black tank top had open panels on her sides, and Requiem could see gills on her ribs plain as day.

  
_'No way.'_

  
Requiem stalked over and grabbed the Schnee's shoulder and pulled her around so she could get a closer look at the gills. She had to make sure they were real. _'There is no way a Schnee is a Faunus.'_

  
\-----

  
Weiss was startled when Requiem grabbed her and instinctively reached for her rapier, thoughts of the recently ended battle still fresh in her mind. However, by the time her hand touched the pommel, there was the sound of machinery moving and all three were suddenly surrounded by falling rose petals. Both girls and Requiem's father looked down at the blonde girl's neck to see the blade of Crescent Rose inches away from her flesh and an upset Ruby glaring at her. Her voice was cold and hard, just like her eyes, holding no room for argument. "Please let go of Weiss."

  
Requiem blinked at the sudden and complete change in the girl's attitude and slowly removed her hands from the ex-heiress' shoulders. As Ruby lowered her scythe, Weiss gave her a glare. "Ruby, that was unnecessary."

  
That was when they all saw Ruby holding back tears as her behavior seemed to wildly shift again. "Weiss. I've almost lost you twice. You were basically kidnapped by Mr. Schnee, and less than half an hour ago you were impaled and almost died. I'm not letting anyone hurt you if I can help it. I've lost too many friends already."

  
Weiss sighed and took a step toward her leader, hugging Ruby tight. Once again, her injury flared in pain, but she grit her teeth and ignored it. Ruby was more important than her discomfort. "I'm not going anywhere dolt. I'm ok. She wasn't going to hurt me. Besides..."

  
Weiss looked over at the other two Faunus. "...I did just drop some pretty big news on a family. They have every right to be surprised."

As Weiss let go of Ruby, Requiem slowly walked over to her, keeping a weary eye on Ruby. _'That girl is more dangerous than she looks._ '

  
"Schnee."

  
Requiem was cut off by the white haired Faunus. "Weiss."

  
The young blonde blinked and Weiss gave her a smile. "Please, call me Weiss."

  
Requiem nodded and looked to Weiss' side. "Are they really...?"

Weiss nodded. "They are real. Believe me, I would never lie about something like this."

  
Requiem looked closer at the organs. One side was clean and easy to look over. They were definitely real. The other side though was puffy and red and there was a fresh scar just barely visible through the red staining the torn cloth and skin. _'Whatever hit this girl tore through her gills and had to have hit a lung. Wait. Crazy girl said she was impaled just half an hour ago...'_

  
Deep green eyes met icy blue in disbelief. "How are you still alive?"

  
Requiem followed Weiss' gaze over to a group of three humans standing and talking to Menagerie's chief and his wife. The blonde monkey Faunus that was there when she came in was joined by a short girl with freckles. One of the humans had blood splattered across his armor. Weiss spoke up. "A good friend saved my life."

  
Requiem's brow furled. The three humans looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen them before. Deciding to file that question away for later, she shook her head and turned to Galeo. "Dad? How is a Schnee **your** kid?"

  
All three girls looked to Galeo.

  
He sighed and looked at Requiem. "Sweety. I never never mentioned this before, but I wasn't born in Menagerie. I'm originally from Mantle. It was about two years before I met your mom. I saved Miss Schnee's..."

  
"Weiss" Weiss corrected.

  
When Galeo looked at her, she clarified. "I...am a Schnee, but I'm Weiss **first** , and I've been trying hard to be known for who I am, not just my family name."

  
She gave him another nervous smile. "So...please, call me Weiss."

  
Galeo regarded her a moment, then nodded in understanding and turned back to Requiem. "I saved Weiss' mother from a tunnel collapse and she paid for my medical bills in gratitude. She visited me quite often and we got to know each other. After a time we got...involved...with each other for about half a year. Things eventually got....heated...between us."

  
Ruby covered her ears and closed her eyes. "Ew. Gross gross gross..."

Weiss chuckled at Ruby's reaction, but the good mood was interrupted by Requiem's face contorting into a mix of disbelief and anger. "You slept with Jacques Schnee's wife!?"

  
\-----

**Meanwhile...**

Yang and Blake had been watching Weiss talking to Galeo for a bit. Yang was tempted to stalk over and give the blonde girl that had grabbed Weiss a piece of her mind, but stopped short when she saw the cold glare Ruby gave said girl while holding her scythe to her neck.

  
Beside her Blake barely creaked out a question after seeing the innocent team leader she left behind at Beacon change into someone that looked half a second away from decapitating someone. "What....happened to Ruby?"

She could hear Weiss reprimand the scythe wielder and Ruby's emotional explanation, but was still confused. She knew Ruby cared about her partner, but that was extreme even for Yang, let alone Ruby. Yang's answer threw her for even more of a loop. "Wow...I knew Ruby could be a protective girlfriend, but...that was just scary."

Blake blinked. "Girl...friend?"

Yang blinked at the question, then seemed to remember that she hadn't seen Blake for over a year. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. That was a conversation for later. Instead, she turned to look at her partner. "Ruby and Weiss have been dating for about a month. Ever since we all met up in Mistral."

Now Blake was all sorts of confused. _'What have I missed? Sun was right. I never should have ran...'_

"But...I thought Weiss was...what about Neptune?"

Yang cut her off. "That is for Weiss to explain. She just...figured some things out..."

While Blake took time to process that information, Yang took the opportunity to walk over and retrieve her arm. She looked it over, but it seemed as though Mercury hadn't done anything to it after she jumped down the elevator. As she reattached the yellow appendage and moved the fingers a few times to make sure everything worked, she heard Blake come jogging up to her.

"Yang....I'm sor-"

Yang spun around and Blake's eyes crossed as she looked down to see the metal finger pressed to her lips. Yang held back her smile at the comical expression on Blake's face and kept a serious look on her own as Blake met her eyes. "Later. You can explain everything to everyone at the same time. I'm way too tired to deal with it right now."

Her face softened slightly. "I reserve the right to change my mind later, but for tonight let's just pretend everything is back to normal, ok?"

Yang knew she wouldn't change her mind. She had already forgiven Blake. She **wanted** things to go back to how they were. She didn't want to deal with her messed up feelings for her partner or Sun. She knew that no matter what Blake did, how many times Blake ran, she would always give her partner another chance, no matter how much it would hurt her. Yang wasn't sure how she felt about that revelation.

Blake's eyes held all sorts of guilt and shame in them, and her drooping ears backed up that assessment, but eventually, she nodded and Yang pulled her hand away from Blake's lips, a small grin forced onto her own. "Good."

Unfortunately, the moment was brought to an end rather abruptly...

"You slept with Jacques Schnee's wife!?"

\-----

That outburst brought all the conversations in the room to a sudden halt. Weiss suddenly felt very self conscious in the silence as she saw everyone looking at the four of them.

Galeo sighed at her outburst and tried to explain himself. "Sweetie..."

The blonde haired girl was having none of it though. "Do you have any idea what that company has done to people!? They exploit Faunus for money! They don't care about anything but lining their pockets!"

Weiss cringed and looked away at that statement in shame. Requiem wasn't wrong. The SDC under Jacques did all of those things. The blonde haired girl wasn't done yet though. "How could you ever get close to a woman that let those things happen!?"

Galeo frowned. "Sweetie. It wasn't like that. Willow was a good woman."

His daughter scoffed and pointed at Weiss. "The only somewhat decent Schnee is maybe her, and she probably got that from you. The rest of that family is pure evil."

Weiss growled. _'How dare she... She doesn't know what Mother went through.'_

Weiss snapped so quickly, she surprised **herself**. "Don't talk about my mother like that!"

Requiem glared at Weiss as they squared off. "She probably only got involved with him so he'd stay quiet about almost dying in that mine!"

Weiss was pissed. Requiem could say whatever she wanted about Jacques. Everything she had said about him so far was correct anyway, but she didn't know Weiss' mother. Mother wasn't perfect by **any** stretch of the imagination...far from it, in fact...but, she wasn't evil. She was a victim who gave up. "That's not true!"

Requiem's voice rose to match Weiss' as everyone else in the room watched the drama unfold. "You expect me to believe that!?"

Weiss screamed at her sister. "What do you want me to say!? That my mother was a manipulative whore!? She **wasn't** , and don't you dare insinuate that she was! My mother made a lot of bad decisions, but falling in love with your dad was not one of them! The biggest mistake she ever made was thinking that Jacques Gelé ever loved her! If she knew the truth before it was too late, then  **MAYBE SHE WOULDN'T BE A DEPRESSED ALCOHOLIC SHELL OF THE WOMAN SHE USED TO BE!"**

Requiem stared at Weiss in awe as the white haired girl glared at her with a face red with anger and sweat beading on her forehead as she heaved with every breath she took.

Weiss' face twisted into a look of pain and she grabbed onto her side as her heavy breathing caused her injury to flair once more. Her breath hitched and Ruby caught her as her legs tried to give out.

**'Get your emotions under control before you hurt yourself.'**

Requiem and Galeo both reached a hand out as Ruby caught her. Her sister's expression softened a bit as she processed Weiss' words.

Taking a few deep breathes to calm herself, Weiss hissed out her words through the pain while looking at Requiem. "If you want to blame someone, blame Jacques Schnee. He is the one that stole my grandfathers company, drove my sister away, turned my brother into a clone of himself, destroyed my mother, and ruined my family name."

Tears glistened in Weiss' eyes, but she held them back. "My mother may have given up, but do not for one moment accuse her of not loving your dad."

Galeo frowned and eventually spoke up. "Willow...what happened to her?"

Weiss closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. Everyone could see her trying to drag her emotions back under control. Eventually, she looked at her dad and her face softened slightly. "Jacques married my mother in order to take over my grandfather's company. I'm fairly certain she always suspected that, but was in denial. Regardless, there was not a lot of genuine love between the two. I can only assume their unhappy marriage led her to...find love elsewhere."

Looking back to Requiem, she found herself repeating information she had only told Yang. "I was ten when he finally admitted he only married her for the company and she....started drinking to deal with the pain. I haven't seen her sober in years. Jacques and Mother stopped talking to each other. After that, our family butler was more of a parent to me than either of them. I spent most of my life hiding my heritage from everyone. Jacques never even knew until after he disinherited me. That was about six months before I escaped from Atlas."

Requiem let out a long breath and ran a hand through her blonde locks as she calmed herself. She couldn't be sure if Weiss was actually telling the truth, but she was convinced that Weiss **believed** what she was saying. "So....you came here looking for my.... **our** dad?"

Weiss shook her head as she slowly straightened back up, giving Ruby a pained, but thankful smile. "I came here looking for my sister Winter actually."

She paused for a moment. "Well, half sister I guess. Regardless, she is a specialist in the Atlas military. When I was escaping the manor, I was going to head to Patch. I overheard that Winter was stationed here. I found out after getting here that she had been recalled to Atlas. I was just lucky to find my friends were here too. If Mr. Henle hadn't walked through that door twenty minutes ago, I might have never met him."

Galeo looked at her oddly. "Patch?"

A small smile worked its way back to Weiss' face. "It's where Ruby and Yang are from." She gestured to the two women as she said their names.

Yang and Blake apparently took that as permission to join the conversation and walked over. Requiem gave her fellow blonde a look like she was trying to remember something. "Weren't you the one that broke that guy's leg in the tournament?"

Yang's eyes narrowed. "Mercury's partner Emerald has a Semblance that makes you see things that aren't there. She used it to make me think I was being attacked."

Ruby spoke up. "His legs are prosthetic anyway. He was never hurt. He was hiding in the tunnels after the match. That was how he stopped...me..."

The brunette took a shaky breath as she reigned in her emotions. Everyone was emotionally and physically exhausted tonight and she really didn't want to snap like Weiss had. "He stopped me from warning Pyrrha...and Penny died because of it."

Requiem's eyes went wide when she heard that name, her head snapping back over to the three humans she saw earlier. Now she remembered where she had seen them before. They were Pyrrha Nikos' team. Compared to what she saw during the Vytal tournament, she hardly recognized them now. _'What have they been through in the last year?'_

\-----

Weiss wrapped the arm on her good side around Ruby and was rewarded with Ruby's head resting against the side of her's. It was still weird how Ruby had an inch or two of height on her now, although that was probably caused more by the fact that she wasn't wearing five inch heels anymore. The slightly shorter heels in her boots still kept her above the five foot mark though. She did her best to comfort her girlfriend. Weiss glanced over at Yang and saw her looking at them. After a moment, Yang gave her a smile and nodded. Weiss returned the smile, happy that Yang trusted her with someone so important to her.

Requiem looked down. "Sorry."

Weiss glanced her way. "It's...ok. We went through a lot at Beacon. We all lost something..." Requiem followed Weiss' gaze over to Yang and just now noticed the robotic arm she had.

"...or someone..."

Requiem looked over her shoulder and followed Weiss' sad gaze back over to team JNPR. Ruby's breath hitched and she trembled a moment at the reminder of their lost friend. Weiss gently calmed her, despite herself starting to tear up, whispering "It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could."

  
Weiss blinked the tears out of her own eyes and took a deep breath, then looked at Requiem and her dad. "I would really like the chance to speak to you both more, but it has been a long day. Can we maybe meet up tomorrow sometime? You can come to the house we are staying at."

  
It was about this time that Qrow came over, carrying an unconscious Oscar. Blake's parents, Sun, and a girl with freckles and a brown ponytail came over with him. They and team JNPR had all apparently began talking again after the screaming sisters had calmed down. "They are welcome to stay there too. There should be enough beds for everyone if I take the couch and someone else crashes on the love-seat."

  
Ruby raised her head back up as Weiss looked at her newly found dad and half-sister for confirmation. Requiem and Galeo looked at each other and then he looked at Qrow. "I need to stay with the Chief and his wife."

Ghira smiled and put a hand on Galeo's shoulder. "We will also be staying there for a few days while everything gets settled. Please, take this opportunity to spend time with your daughter...s."

Galeo looked back at Ghira. "Thank you Chief Belladonna."

Weiss was nervously tapping her fingers on her leg and biting her lip. Eventually she looked up. "Mr. Henle?"

When he looked at her, she glanced off to the side, not quite able to meet his eyes. "I know I just dumped a lot on you tonight, and I don't expect you to just accept me...but, would you be ok if I...called you dad?"

Galeo blinked at the odd request. He was almost certain this young woman was indeed his child. The chances of the white haired woman in front of him being a different shark Faunus' child was too absurd to humor the idea. She seemed like a decent sort too.

After a moment of consideration, he looked at Requiem. His daughter glanced at her apparent half sister and shrugged. Galeo looked back at his 'other' daughter with his pointy smile. "I think I'd like that."

Weiss smiled. "Thanks....dad."

_'Dad...it is such a...common..way to talk about a parent, but it feels.... **right**. I don't think I can say father in a positive context ever again anyway.'_

Galeo watched as Weiss seemed to roll the word around in her mouth to get a feeling for it. After a moment, she appeared to come to the conclusion that she liked it and smiled to herself.

\-----

Sun gave Yang and Blake a worried look. "You two ok now?"

The girls looked at each other. Blake still looked nervous and guilty. Yang's face held a forced smile, but a smile nonetheless. It was Blake who answered with a hopeful tone. "I think we...will be."

Sun walked over in between them and slung an arm around each of their shoulders with his typical huge grin. "Good to hear. I'd hate for my two favorite ladies to hate each other."

Both girls rolled their eyes, Blake with a small grin and Yang shaking her head with a smile as she looked at him. "Missed you too, monkey boy."

Sun laughed and pulled both girls in close in one armed hugs and Blake smiled. Yang, however, looked away...a light blush coloring her cheeks.

Ghira raised an eyebrow at the three. Kali standing next to him had a questioning look on her face , but didn't comment.

Qrow spoke up again. "Ok, we can have more family reunions when we get back to the house. I'm beat and I'm sure you kids need the rest too, especially you Mini Ice Queen. You almost died, and even with how stubborn you are at trying to hide it, I can tell you are still in a lot of pain."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the nickname. It still didn't sound quite right coming from Qrow.  He wasn't wrong though.  That was when she remembered something important and walked over to Jaune, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in as tight of a hug as she could manage without hurting herself. "Thank you for saving my life Jaune. You were my hero today."

Jaune chuckled and hugged her back with a light blush on his face, then let her go. "You would have done the same if the roles had been reversed. Now, get going before your girlfriend gets jealous and comes after me with her scythe."

Ruby gave him an angry pout as Weiss giggled. "Dork."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "What happened to being your hero?"

Ruby huffed out an annoyed breath, then grinned in amusement at her friends. "Come on guys. Let's go home."

Nora let out a cheer of victory and threw her arms around Ren's neck, planting a huge kiss on his lips. The poor boy was caught off guard and the pair tumbled to the floor amidst a chorus of giggles and snickers from their friends.

As the group turned to head out, Weiss noticed Jaune's smile slide away into something that resembled guilt when he thought no one was looking. Before she could question the action though, she stopped dead in her tracks as something else came to her mind: the Faunus militia.

Ruby, Requiem, and her dad all looked at her in worry as she stopped, a look of fear on her face. Galeo was the first to speak up.

"Weiss? What's wrong?"

Weiss was staring out the door. "There is a militia from Menagerie out there right now?"

Her dad tilted his head in confusion. "Yes?"

Her head slowly turned to look up at him. "People...that moved to Menagerie...to get away from human oppression..."

She looked down at the white jacket in her hand. The small Schnee snowflake on the breast was splattered in red. It might have been **her** blood, but the unintentional metaphor didn't escape her. It was still **Faunus** blood. "...oppression such as the kind the Schnee name is associated with?"

Her dad's eyebrows rose up high on his head. "Oh..."

Weiss turned her head to look at Ruby as the young girl placed a hand on her shoulder. "You could just...ya know...show them that you are one of them..."

Weiss' quiet voice sounded defeated. "But...I'm not one of them. I'm a Schnee, and **that** is what everyone will see."

" **Aren't** you one of us though?"

Weiss looked over at Requiem's smug expression. The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. "You said Jacques ruined your family name, broke your mother and forced you to hide what you are to escape being oppressed by him, right?"

Weiss gave her a confused look. "Well...yes...but..."

Her sister cut her off. "Then how are you different from those people out there?"

Weiss blinked. "I..."

She stopped again as Ruby gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Weiss. We won't let anything happen to you. You've got friends here to support you..."

Ruby then poked her in the chest with her free hand. "...and even if you didn't, you've got **me** , and I'm not letting you deal with your problems alone anymore because I. Love. You."

Ruby then gave her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek to emphasize her declaration. Weiss blushed at that and gave Ruby a small smile. Turning back toward the door, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She was about to reveal her secret to a lot of Faunus that would probably recognize her, but she wouldn't show how terrified she was. She was going to pass this trial, just like all the others before. Not because she was expected to, but because she **wanted** to. She **wanted** to be proud of who she was and not hide anymore. Opening her eyes once again, her posture was straight and regal and her face the picture of serenity. "Ok."

\-----

Ilia watched as Weiss Schnee of all people walked by her and Blake and out into the courtyard. The white haired girl stared straight ahead, accompanied by Mrs. Belladonna's personal guard, a young blonde girl, and a girl in a red cloak.

Ilia recognized the one in red from Blake's descriptions of her team. That was one Ruby Rose: a prodigy huntress accepted into the Academy two years early...and.. **apparently**...the girlfriend of a member of the Schnee family.

Ilia wasn't sure what she expected when Blake mentioned that the Schnee girl was on a team with her. Blake had said that Weiss was nothing like what people expected her to be, but Ilia had never quite believed it. Now, she couldn't believe just how right Blake had been.

Of course, she heard the ex-heiress screaming at her apparent sister about how horrible Jacques Schnee was and how much she hated what became of the company. That was something she was willing to accept. Blake would never be friends with someone that was that horrible to Faunus. The fact that a Schnee was a Faunus herself however? That was something she was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around.

\-----

Weiss stared straight ahead as she walked with her friends through the courtyard. Her side still hurt, but she paid it no mind, her focus fully on keeping her body from shaking from the terror she felt. She had her gills on display for more people right here and now than all of her other reveals combined. She heard the gasps and disbelieving mutters from the militia members that recognized her. The words 'Schnee' and 'Faunus' sticking out among the conversations.

Not for the first time, she was thankful she didn't have Blake's enhanced hearing. She was pretty sure she didn't want to know what they were saying. No one yelled out at her or approached, so that was a good sign that she wasn't going to be attacked or harassed. The amount of blood staining her clothes practically painted her as an easy target. That didn't stop her hands from shaking and beads of sweat from forming on her brow however. She wasn't sure if it was from the nervousness she felt or the pain that she was ignoring.

_**'You know this is probably how Blake felt all the time.'** _

**'Get back to the house first. Guilty personal crisis later.'**

\-----

Ilia followed Blake while watching the white haired ex-heiress walk past the crowds of Faunus militia. She took a tiny bit of pleasure in watching the Schnee shake in nervousness, even as she held her head high and marched on. Ilia knew her pleasure was unjustified, but hate at a member of the family responsible for your parents' death doesn't just go away overnight. She knew she was going to have to come to terms with the fact that the girl in front of her wasn't at fault for what happened, but that would probably require talking with her...or at least Blake...and Ilia wasn't ready for that. Not tonight at least.

_'I'll talk to Blake tomorrow and get a feel for this Schnee girl before I talk to her.'_

A plan of action finally in place, Illia stuck close to the Belladonnas as the group made their way to their destination.

\-----

As they left the Academy, Weiss saw Qrow talking to the police. Whatever it was he told them, it was enough to have them let the group through without questions. How he got them to not stop her and demand a medic look her over would be something she would be wondering for a while. By a stroke of luck, the curious crowds around the Academy had mostly disappeared since the White Fang had all been rounded up and taken to jail. Weiss was thankful for that. She knew she wasn't in any condition to deal with the media right now.

Once the group had managed to get away from any potential militia or media, Weiss finally let herself relax. Her shoulders slumped...along with the rest of her body. Ruby reached out to catch her, but Weiss held up a hand. "I'm fine Ruby. Just....tired."

Ruby's face looked worried. "You looked more than just tired Weiss."

Weiss let out a shaky laugh. "That....was one of the most terrifying things I've ever done."

"Scarier than fighting a Queen Lancer, falling out of the sky, and then fighting a giant shark all in one day?"

Weiss glanced behind her to see team JNPR. Jaune had a playful grin on his face. Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'm trained for that. No one can teach you how to expose a huge secret about your family to dozens of people who have every right to hate them."

Jaune's grin fell away. "Fair."

Ruby watched her girlfriend with worry. "Are you going to be able to make it back to the house?"

Weiss glanced at her. "Unless you plan on carrying me, I don't really have a choice."

Ruby grinned at that comment. "Well, we have plenty of strong people here that could do it."

The white haired girl rolled her eyes. "Ruby. I'm not asking someone to carry me to the house when I'm perfectly capable of walking."

Glancing around, Weiss noticed JNPR and her family all looking at her like that statement was **really** stupid. Ruby was the first to speak up. "Weiss. You almost bled out and you are obviously still in a lot of pain. There is no shame in asking for help."

Weiss sighed. It wasn't her pride keeping her from asking for help. She just knew everyone else was worn out too and didn't want to be a burden. She'd done that enough tonight already. "I'm covered in my own blood. I don't want to get that all over someone else."

Jaune looked down as his armor. It was still splashed in red. When he looked up again he shrugged and walked over next to Weiss and knelt down with his back to her. "Hop on."

Weiss arched an eyebrow. "You want me to hang off your back?"

Jaune shrugged again. "It's the only way I can carry you without hurting you more."

Weiss rolled her eyes again and put her arms around his shoulders. She squeaked when he wrapped his arms under the back of her knees and stood up. "This is so undignified..."

Nora laughed. "You're part of team RWBY. Dignified went out the window a long time ago."

Weiss decided not to dignify that with a response and got herself into a comfortable position on Jaune's back that wouldn't aggravate her wound further, using his hood to keep her head away from the hard metal of his armor. _'Other than his armor digging into my ribs a little, this isn't **too** bad I suppose. He's actually pretty warm.'_

\-----

After what felt like only a minute or two, Weiss felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder and her girlfriend's loving voice quietly calling out to her. "Weeiiiiisss. Time to get up."

Weiss snuggled deeper into the hard mattress she was curled up against. "Five more minutes Ruby. I want to cuddle some more. You're warm."

When she heard Ruby giggle, Weiss realized that something wasn't right. _'Wait... Our mattress is soft. Why am I on a hard mattress?'_

That was when she heard Yang of all people laughing. "Wrong cuddle buddy there Princess."

Weiss' eyes opened and she saw Ruby and Yang looking at her. Yang had a huge grin on her face and Ruby was blushing with the cute smile she gave Weiss when they cuddled. The problem was that they weren't in their shared bedroom, and the room was...right side up. _'I'm laying down, so why isn't the room sideways...?'_

The bigger problem was that Ruby wasn't cuddling with her. _'What am I holding on...to...?'_

Weiss' head shot up and she found herself staring at the back of a head of shaggy blonde hair. A very red face and neck was attached to that hair and Weiss realized she had fallen asleep and was now nuzzling into Jaune's back.

She probably would have shoved herself back and fallen off in some comical manner if she hadn't remembered **why** she was being carried by Jaune in the first place and managed to stop before she did something to hurt herself. Instead, she cleared her throat and fought down her embarrassment. "I'm awake now Jaune. You can let me down whenever you are ready."

He nodded and knelt down, letting go of her legs so she could stand up. Trying to regain what was left of her dignity, Weiss nodded as Jaune stood back up and turned to her. "Thank you Jaune. I appreciate you assistance."

The blonde man seemed to be having a harder time with his own embarrassment and gave her a shaky smile as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "O-of course. A-any t-time."

Deciding to spare the both Jaune and herself further embarrassment, Weiss looked to her girlfriend. "I'm going to get cleaned up and head to bed."

Ruby was still smiling in amusement and nodded while pointing a thumb over her shoulder toward the house. "I'm gonna help everyone get settled. I'll see you in a bit."

With a smile and a quick kiss, the pair separated.

\-----

Weiss almost would have preferred to not have showered that night. While getting the blood, sweat, and dirt off of herself was nice, the process was less than pleasant.

Literally inhaling mouthfuls of water to wash the blood from her gills was an agony nearly as bad as coughing the blood up itself had been. It took more willpower than she would have liked to admit to not rip the shower nob off during the process.

By the time Ruby and Yang entered the bedroom the three shared, Weiss had passed out from the exhaustion of the entire ordeal.

\-----

Weiss looked around in confusion. _'What? When did we come back to the Academy?'_

"NOOOOOO!"

_'Jau-?'_

Weiss' eyes went wide as a familiar, but unimaginable pain blossomed from her side. She looked down to once again see the flaming spear and blood.

Weiss blinked, and suddenly the spear and blood were gone.

"NOOOOOO!"

Weiss' eyes went wide again and she spun around...just in time to see Cinder standing there with that same sadistic smile. Behind her Jaune was standing there yelling out and reaching out to her. Weiss looked down just in time to see the spear pierce her chest.

Weiss blinked again and she was once again looking at the wall of the Academy. She was moving before she even heard Jaune's voice yell out, but no matter what she did, no matter how fast she was, she found herself stabbed **over** and **over** and **over** again.

Weiss blinked again and saw the wall of the Academy. She ducked under the spear she knew was coming and spun, running at Cinder as fast as she could. It wasn't until she saw the spear that was still in Cinder's hand and the smug look on the woman's face that she realized there was no escape. She was unable to stop herself in time and watched the point of the spear as it pierced her corset...

Weiss' eyes shot open as she bolted upright in her bed, breathing heavily and covered in a cold sweat. As she looked around, her mind slowly took in her surroundings and her breathing began to slow down. _'I'm at the house. I'm in bed. I'm alive. Yang is here. Ruby is here. I'm ok...I'm ok...'_

Grabbing the hem of her shirt, Weiss pulled the damp garment up and wiped the sweat from her face. Pulling the cloth away, she looked down and ran her fingers over the new scar on her torso. Reaching around to her back, she found a matching tender ridge on her skin. She didn't doubt for one moment that the gills on her right side between the two scars probably looked much the same. It was going to be some time before she could see how bad her breathing would be affected however.

Hearing a soft, but disgruntled whine coming from her side, she glanced down to see Ruby with an annoyed look on her face and her hand lazily reaching out for something on Weiss' side of the bed. Not wanting to wake up her girlfriend, Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's. She was rewarded with Ruby's hand grasping her own and the look on the younger girl's face softening in contentment.

That brought a smile to Weiss' face and after a moment, she laid back down and closed her eyes, drifting off to hopefully peaceful slumber.

\-----

"Ren, talk to me."

Ren's face was painted with worry. "This is bad. I don't know what we can do."

Jaune stared down as he held his hands over the wounds in Weiss' torso. Blood was running out between his fingers as he tried to cover both of the holes in her body. It was for naught though as she merely bled out of her gills instead.

"Come on Weiss! Please! We can't lose...anyone else...."

Jaune felt as though something was supposed to happen. He **knew** something was supposed to happen. He knew he could save her. Instead, he heard Ren's voice. When he said Jaune's name, it held that same defeated tone that it had when they found the dying huntsman in Shion Village.

He could only watch as Weiss' breath shuddered for a moment...and then her body went still.

Jaune blinked and he was back on the floor by Cinder's feet. He quickly looked over and saw Weiss on her knees. She was alive! He could still save her from Cinder! He heard a scream...

His head shot over to see Cinder standing over Ruby's body, the spear in her hand pinning the younger girl's chest to the floor.

Ruby's eyes locked with Jaune's. The look of terror in those silver eyes froze him in place. His friend was reaching out to him and trying to speak, but instead she coughed and red sprayed from her mouth as the light in her eyes faded and she went still.

He continued to stare at Ruby's body until he saw a pair of shoes block his view. He followed the legs attached to those feet up a body dressed in red until he saw a single glowing orange eye looking back with that same cruel grin as Cinder looked down at him. "It's almost pitiful that you think you can be a hero. Someone as weak as you can't save anyone. The 'Invincible Girl' never stood a chance against me. 'Little Red' can't stop me. Your little 'Snow Angel' can't win. They are all so much stronger, braver, and more skilled than you, and they can never stand a chance. What makes you think someone as pathetic as you could ever stand against me?"

Cinder leaned down until she was inches from his face. "You were never good enough for any of them. You hold them back, and they will all die trying to make up for your shortcomings. So, maybe we should just put you out of your misery now."

A flaming sword appeared in her hand once more and she held the blade above his head, bringing it stabbing down...

Jaune jolted awake. Angry tears were streaming down his face and he wanted to scream in rage. Looking over to the other bed in the room, he saw Ren and Nora curled up together peacefully. He didn't want to wake his team mates, so instead settled for slamming his fist down onto his pillow.

Running his hand down his face, he noticed a glint of white and gold out of the corner of his eye. Looking over, he could just barely make out the shape of his armor sitting on the floor in the moonlight. The white and gold metal still splattered in blood. **Weiss'** blood.

Looking away from the sight, Jaune took a shuddering breath. _'She's alive. She's ok. I didn't fail. Weiss is ok. Ruby is ok. Everyone is ok...'_

Forcing himself to focus on that thought, Jaune slowly drifted off to sleep once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a while, but still managed to get this out this week. Minor edits became major edit, then major edits became complete rewrites.
> 
> It looks like although things are off to a rocky start (which is depressing common for Weiss), her sister is willing to give her a chance. If it wasn't abundantly obvious, Requiem has a very bad view of the SDC. Not enough to go the route of the White Fang, but it wouldn't be out of line for her to have participated in a protest or two if she wasn't so focused on training.
> 
> Weiss is no doubt going to have some PTSD like Yang does after that injury. Also, seems like there something deeper to Jaune's issues than just missing Pyrrha. Yang also has other issues to work through besides her PTSD. (Poor girl just can't catch a break).
> 
> Comments and ideas to add are always welcome. Like I said before, I'm doing complete rewrites of these chapters, so only a few things are set in stone at this point.
> 
> On the plus side, I have managed to get all the major events for this little in between volumes arc worked out into a timeline, so things should go a bit easier now.
> 
> On an unrelated note, apparently 1 of the members of Team CFVY is confirmed LBGT in the spin off book coming out. (Either Coco or Yatsu) While this is cool, it does present a 50/50 chance of screwing up a character in the sequel I plan on writing for this AU. Not a huge issue to switch out a minor character, but I liked the character I had planned out and it will suck if I have to change them. (Then again, the show still has 4 more volumes to go, so who knows what might happen that might change how the sequel works.)


	17. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is finally back together, and people start getting some much needed answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finally got past my writers block and got myself to finish this chapter...mostly. I was still having some issues getting part of it to my liking, and since it looks like it was going to be 7-8k words, I decided to split it up so I could post something while I get the 2nd half figured out. Also, trying out some new word processing software, which thankfully will copy the formatting so I don't have to mess with bold and italics after pasting it here, but it messes with the new line spacing, so I'm still experimenting a bit. 
> 
> Updates will still be sporadic due to personal issues and other unrelated time constraints (longer work hours, ect.), but I'm getting some of my motivation back (Or just distracting myself from thinking on new situations too hard.) I'm tempted to actually write a story explaining most of what's going on as a form of therapy, but I haven't decided yet.
> 
> For those interested in the reason for the hiatus, (The 'personal issues' I mentioned) it is in the ending notes. If you're just here for the story, go ahead and skip the end notes. No harm, no foul. Ok, on with the chapter.

Weiss hadn't had any more nightmares the night before, but this morning promised to be awkward, especially if breakfast was any indication. Blake's parents had to return to the academy to organize things with the militia and her dad had gone with them. As such, Blake and Requiem had been the only new additions to the table. Her sister had adapted well to the situation and seemed to blend into the group with little issue, content to sit back and listen to everyone else.

Blake, on the other hand, was nervous all morning. She hid it well, smiling and happy to be back, but the other members of team RWBY could read her like she read books. Weiss was pretty sure even Nora picked up on it, which meant Ren probably did too. She couldn't be sure if Jaune had noticed. He had always been a little oblivious, and those two had never really spent much time together. Even if they had, the man looked so tired at the moment that he probably would have missed it anyway.

Not long after the food was finished, the others started arriving at the house and Weiss retreated to the kitchen to make drinks while everyone got settled. She needed some space from the awkwardness for a few minutes.

Weiss was getting really tired of awkward mornings. They seemed to be when everyone decided to explain things. At this point she fully expected some kind of stressful conversation immediately following breakfast at least once a month, which she was fairly certain was about to happen once she returned. She needed more caffeine before dealing with that.

**'You know, you are the one that always decided to put off important conversations until the next day so that you were rested beforehand.'**

Weiss pointedly ignored her own hypocrisy as she poured herself a mug of coffee. At least today's conversation promised to be a happy one. She was going to get to know her dad and her half-sister.

_'Speaking of...'_

Weiss didn't even turn around as she caught a new scent enter the kitchen. She wasn't able to smell much of anything other than her own blood the previous night, but now that she was clean, other scents were much more noticeable. Point of fact, the smell of sand and salt water that caught her attention made her smile. It had an oddly comforting feeling to it. She called out as she grabbed another mug from the cabinet. "Would you like some coffee dad?"

The gravely, yet warm voice of her dad sounded out from across the room. "Yes, please. How did you know it was me? There are fifteen people in this house."

Weiss looked over her shoulder with a grin and tapped the side of her nose. "Same reason your stomach growled when we talked last night. I have the same...quirk."

Galeo smiled at that as he walked up to the counter and leaned against it. "That explains why you were giggling."

Weiss turned to face him with a grin on her face as she stirred cream and sugar into the mug in her hand. "Want anything in it? 

He shook his head. "Just black coffee please."

Weiss rolled her eyes and laughed. "Finally. Someone that knows how coffee is **supposed** to be served."

_'Like dad, like daughter...'_

As Galeo looked at the mug in her hand that was more sugar than coffee at that point, he opened his mouth to question her actions when she held the mug out at arm's length. A rush of air blew through the room and the mug disappeared from her hand in a stream of dissolving rose petals. A faint call of "ThanksWeissloveyou." sounded in the distance as Ruby disappeared into the living room.

Weiss simply grinned at her dad as she reached behind herself and picked two mugs off the counter, handing him one and taking a sip of her own 'untainted' brew.

Galeo's eyebrow rose as he processed what just happened. "You certainly have an... _interesting_ partner there."

Weiss smiled at him as she let the warmth spread through her body. "She grows on you. I know she seemed...unstable...last night, but she has a big heart and we've all been under a lot of stress. I did almost...die...last night."

Weiss took a calming breath to clear her thoughts and the smile returned to her face as she thought of Ruby. "She's like a little kid most of the time. It's because of her and Yang that I was able to...what was that word Yang used?....'mello out'."

Her dad gave her another of those pointy toothed smiles. "Well, you seem like a fine, well mannered young lady to me."

Weiss frowned. "That is a mostly new development. I was a prissy, stuck up bitch for most of the first semester at Beacon. I've grown up since then. I'm still a 'work in progress' as they say, but I'm getting there. I have my team and our friends to thank for that."

Galeo put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, they have done a good job. Seem like good people. Real mature for their age too."

His eyebrows rose when Weiss laughed. She laughed loud. Forcing herself to calm down before she aggravated her sore muscles, she smiled at him. "I think Ren and I are the only ones that qualify as 'mature'. Yang is full of bad humor, Ruby is a sugar charged weapons geek, Nora is too giddy and destructive for her own good sometimes, and Jaune is a dork. Blake is usually pretty calm, but even she can get pretty aggressive when she is passionate about something."

Her dad nodded at that. "She can indeed. She had a pretty good speech and managed to raise an army to fight the White Fang, after all."

Weiss glanced over at the stove when the teapot started to whistle. "Speaking of Blake..."

As she set her mug down and straightened back up from the counter, she grunted in pain once more. Her dad was quick to catch on. "Do you want me to get that for you?"

Weiss shook her head. "I'm just a little sore still."

When he gave her a skeptical look, she put a hand on his arm. "I mean it this time. I know I was just being stubborn last night, but I'm doing much better. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad this morning."

Placing the tea pot and cups on the tray along with a few mugs of coffee, she picked up the drinks and started to head for the living room. "I won't be able to train properly until the soreness fades, but I can still help with the little stuff. Plus it helps me stay busy. I don't like staying idle for too long if I can help it."

_'I did enough of that back in Atlas.'_

\-----

Blake was nervous. Yang had told her to wait to explain things to everyone at the same time, and that time was now. She had not slept particularly well last night. Qrow had been a little off in his count of bed to person ratio. Sun told her that he still had his team's dorm set up at Haven and told everyone he would sleep there. Blake tried to offer to take a different bed in there so that there would be more room at the house, but Sun gently yet firmly cut down that idea, saying she needed to be with her team. Ilia also didn't feel comfortable around so many strangers yet, especially since at least half of them were human.

So, Ilia ended up staying in Sun's dorm while Blake slept in one of the large beds. She felt bad leaving Weiss' sister and dad sleeping on the couches, but they both said it was fine. Requiem even said she preferred crashing on a couch. Even though Qrow offered to take one so that someone else could have a bed, neither of them really felt comfortable sleeping in the same room as an unconscious fourteen year old boy they didn't know.

Now, she was sitting in the armchair in the living room waiting for the two shark Faunus to arrive. In an attempt to keep her mind occupied, she took a look around at those she left behind.

Nora and Ren were sitting in the room's other armchair, the redhead comfortably perched on Ren's lap. Blake had to smile at that.

_'About time for those two...'_

Jaune was sitting on the floor leaning against the chair while Yang, Sun, and Ruby sat on the couch next the them. Ruby and Yang's uncle was standing on the other side of the coffee table. Her mother was sitting on the loveseat next to Weiss' sister while Ilia stood next to her father against the wall, looking like she was trying to be invisible without actually making herself blend into the woodwork.

Blake didn't blame her. She herself didn't like being the center of attention, and as soon as Weiss got there she would be. Her ear flicked as she heard her white haired team mate's happy laughter coming from the kitchen, followed shortly by the whistling of a teapot. A minute later, Weiss came into the room carrying a large tray covered in cups and the teapot with a happy smile on her face. "Good morning everyone."

Her father and Ilia both gave Weiss curious looks when her team mate wasn't looking. She couldn't really read the look on Ilia's face, but her father simply seemed to be trying to reconcile the public image of Weiss Schnee with the smiling woman in front of him.

The Weiss that entered the room looked a lot more like the Weiss she had last seen at Beacon. Seeing her friend not wearing a skirt for once had been strange. Weiss was wearing a blue and white dress this morning. Considering her other clothes were covered in blood the night before, it made sense. It also explained why Jaune wasn't wearing his hoodie for once. Her friend's dad was right behind her and took a spot next to her own father against the wall.

\-----

Weiss looked over the room, systematically passing out coffee to those that drank her favored beverage and offering tea to the others. As she approached Qrow, he started to take his flask out. He noticed her nose scrunch up and the look of disgust on her face. Remembering her argument last night and the news of her mother, he looked at her face again as she stared back at him. After a moment, he relented with a sigh and replaced the cap, accepting the mug she offered. As she gave him a smug smile and turned toward Blake, she caught him mumble something about bossy Schnees and being lucky she was dating his niece.

As she walked up to a nervous looking Blake, she smiled. "I hope I got it right. I think I remember the blend you liked."

Leaning in to hand off the cup, she whispered to her friend. "Just breath. It will be ok."

When Blake gave her a grateful smile, she turned and brought a mug over to team JNPR. As Nora reached for the coffee, Weiss promptly swatted the redhead's hand and gave her a glare. " **You** are not getting coffee. We are not having another _incident_."

As Nora pouted at her and Ren gave her a grateful look, Weiss handed the mug off to Jaune, receiving a tired smile in return and walked back over to the tray, picking up her own. Looking around and seeing no seats left, Weiss grinned and sat herself on Ruby's knees, crossing one leg over the other and sipping at her beverage as if her girlfriend was not now pinned beneath her.

Ruby, for her part, sputtered in surprise for a moment before getting a sly grin on her face. Wrapping her arms around Weiss' waist, she pulled the ex-heiress back snug to herself and Weiss let out a surprised squeak as she nearly spilled her drink. The surprise also did an admirable job of distracting her from the sudden spike of discomfort from her sore muscles.  While she was going to need to talk to Ruby about that later, now was not the time to have her girlfriend sputtering out apologies.  Ruby put her chin on Weiss' shoulder so she could see the room and Weiss decided to just let it go.

_'Screw it.  I'll be fine in a day or two anyway.'_

Yang and team JNPR chuckled at the two while Sun, Blake, and Requiem grinned. Qrow huffed out a small laugh and then looked over at Ghira. "I wanted to officially thank you and the militia for helping us out last night. If you hadn't shown up, things would have gone downhill real fast. I'm curious though. How did you know there was going to be an attack? We've been here for a few months and we never heard anything hinting that something was coming."

Sun beamed as he looked over at Blake. "That would be because of how awesome Blake here is."

He started waving his arms around as he explained how Blake rallied everyone. "You should have seen her! She just ad-libbed this whole speech about how if the Faunus just stood off on the sidelines, then the White Fang would be how the world saw all Faunus. People started volunteering right and left and BOOM, we had an army to fight back!"

Blake blushed as Sun poured praise onto her. Weiss chuckled and smiled at her. "I would have loved to have seen that. The quiet bookworm of the team giving a rousing speech to lead an army."

Yang grinned. "Well, she always did have her feisty side."

Blake blushed yet again at that.

Weiss looked over at the monkey Faunus. "Thanks for keeping her safe Sun."

Sun stared at her with his mouth agape. "Did you just...compliment me?"

Weiss glared at him. The small grin pulling at her lips kind of ruined the effect though. "Hey! I can be nice when I want to be. Especially since you brought our team mate back to us."

Sun puffed his chest out. "See? Jaune isn't the only blonde guy around here that keeps his word."

RWBY and JNPR both chuckled at that.

Yang grinned. "Oh yeah, Ruby melted the Ice Queen into a little puddle of Weiss-cream."

Most of the room consisted of a combination of annoyed groans and polite silence at the pun, but a hearty chuckle rang out over it all and everyone looked over to see Ghira smiling. "Well, aren't you a 'punny' individual."

Yang's eyes lit up and she turned to Blake with a huge grin. "Blake! Marry me!  Your dad is awesome!"

Blake smiled at that. It was nice to see Yang with a genuine smile again.

Ghira chuckled as he glanced at Yang. "I like this one."

Yang beamed.

Ruby spoke up from Weiss' shoulder, looking at Blake. "How did you end up in Menagerie anyway?"

Blake's smile slipped off her face and she looked at the floor. "I...ran...again."

Yang's grin left her face and if anyone noticed the pain in her eyes, they didn't comment on it. "Why?"

Blake glanced at Yang. Her eyes lingered on the yellow and black metal arm for a moment before she looked at the floor again, her cat ears folding flat on her head. "The night Beacon fell...Weiss and I split up on our way to the docks. I went to go hunt down an Alpha Beowulf that was heading for the cafeteria. When I got there..."

Blake took a steadying breath. "...Adam was there. He was about to kill a student and I stopped him. The other person got away, and Adam and I fought for awhile. He overpowered me. He told me that for betraying him...he'd take away everything I care about."

She looked up at her team with tears brimming in her eyes. "I couldn't let him hurt any of you, so...I ran. I ran home thinking that if I wasn't around, then you would be safe from him. He wouldn't go after any of you just to hurt me if I left."

If she hadn't been sitting right next to her Weiss would have missed Yang bitterly mumbling to herself. "Some of us already got hurt..."

Based on how Blake and her mother both tensed up slightly, and how Sun glanced at her, it was apparent that Yang wasn't as quiet as she thought she was. Sun was the first to action though and wrapped an arm around Yang's shoulder with a comforting smile. "Hey. None of that now. I got it through her head that running was a mistake."

Yang stiffened up when Sun wrapped her in the one armed hug. Even though she knew it was probably a bad idea, she took what comfort she could and let herself sink into him a little bit. She hoped no one caught the blush she was trying to keep down.

Based on the strange look Blake's mom was giving her, she probably wasn't hiding it very well.

Blake's ears fell flat against her head again as she looked at her team. "I'm sorry Yang. I should have stayed. I was a...coward."

Jaune's voice spoke up for the first time that morning. "But, if you hadn't gone, you never would have found out about the attack. We would have all probably died last night if you didn't show up."

Jaune's tired eyes were focused on Blake, but the cat Faunus noticed Weiss frown and her hand move over to grip her side as the white haired Faunus glanced over at the blonde haired man.

Ruby cleared her throat and everyone focused on her as she looked at Blake. "How did you find out about the attack though? Where did you get the information?"

Sun let go of Yang and sat up. He didn't seem to notice that Yang's body attempted to follow him before she caught herself and sat up straight again. "Oh, that is courtesy of Lizard Girl. She was spying on Blake's parents for the White Fang and we caught up to her and got her scroll. It had all the info on it."

Ren look confused. "Lizard...girl?"

Sun smiled and gestured at Ilia. Everyone looked in her direction and the chameleon girl's body turned brown as she instinctively tried to blend into the wall behind her. Nora's voice cut through the quiet room. "Wow! That is cool! Can you turn any color!?"

Ilia relaxed...a little...at Nora's question, nodding.

Requiem grinned at her. "Nice."

The chameleon Faunus smiled slightly at the praise and her color returned to normal.

Ruby gave her a questioning look. "You were White Fang too?"

Sun spoke up. "Yeah. She was even part of the attack on the Belladonna house. Stabbed me when we tracked her down too."

The ones that hadn't been in Menagerie all visibly tensed up at that news. Yang looked at Ilia for a moment, her eyes going red, then she turned to Sun. No one missed the anger in her voice. "She...stabbed you?"

Almost as soon as the words left Yang's mouth, Weiss looked at Blake. "The White Fang...tried to kill your family?"

Ilia's skin shifted through a few different colors as various emotions ranging from shame to fear ran through her. She was surprised when Yang's eyes turned red. She didn't know what that meant exactly, but she knew that it definitely wasn't a good sign. Seeing the look of concern on the Schnee's face as she looked at Blake didn't help her situation.

Yang was about to stand up when Sun grabbed her shoulder and kept her from getting off the couch. "Hey, hey, now. It's ok. She's cool."

The blonde brawler looked at him in disbelief. "She tried to kill you and Blake."

Ilia breathed a sigh of relief when Blake came to her rescue. "Ilia didn't want to do any of that, but she felt like she didn't have any other options. She didn't have anywhere else to go. She helped save my father during the attack though and has been trying to make up for her mistakes. She was the one that disarmed the bombs at Haven."

Ilia finally spoke up. She sounded ashamed and her skin took on a bright green tint. "I...regret a lot of the things I've done. Mr. Belladonna saved me the night of the attack. I went there to kill him and he could have let me die when a balcony collapsed, but he didn't. Everyone gave me a second chance...and I want to repay them for their kindness."

She got a thankful smile on her face and looked up when Ghira put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

"You saw the error of your ways and you are trying to make things right."

Yang looked at Blake and Sun. Seeing their reassuring looks, she forced herself to calm down.

Weiss, however, still found herself conflicted.

_'She tried to kill Blake's family. She stabbed Sun. She's likely killed before. Was she involved in killing SDC employees? Did she kill friends of the family?'_

_**'She is changing her ways. She regrets her decisions. Blake changed. Ilia can too.'** _

**'Blake never killed innocent people. She was against killing. You need to be careful around her. A Schnee is a tempting target.'**

_**'Blake trusts her. You know you can trust Blake.'** _

_**\-----** _

Requiem looked over at her sister. Weiss' body language was practically screaming uncertainty and the tension between her and Ilia was thick. Luckily, she had the perfect way to prevent anything bad from happening. The blonde haired Faunus slapped both hands on her thighs, cutting through the silence and grabbing everyone's attention as she stood up and marched over to Weiss, grabbing her hands and pulling the surprised girl off of an equally surprised Ruby. "Ok. Good talk. Come on sis. Time for a family meeting."

Pulling Weiss toward the door to the balcony, she looked over her shoulder at Galeo. "Come on dad. Let's get this overdue reunion started."

Requiem practically drug Weiss out of the room as Yang and Ruby looked on in amusement. Galeo sighed with a smile at his daughter's antics, then turned to Ghirra. "Sir, if I may...?"

Ghirra chuckled at him. "Go on ahead."

Galeo nodded and left the room to make sure his daughter didn't end up traumatizing...his other daughter.

\-----

As the two Faunus and the Schnee girl...no...the three Faunus, Ilia had to remind herself, left the room, the chameleon girl let out a relived breath. 

She still wasn't sure what to think of Weiss. From what she could tell, the feeling was mutual. The tension in the room had been thick, and Ilia honestly wasn't sure who would have taken what side if a fight broke out, but she didn't think the odds would have been in her favor.

There had been no obvious hatred in the Schnees expression, but Ilia also saw how adept the girl was at hiding her emotions when she needed to. She didn't think that was the case here though. Weiss didn't seem to be hiding anything if the unease and uncertainty in her expression were anything to go by. It was so clear that everyone saw it. Ilia guessed that was why her sister chose that moment to have their 'reunion'.

Blake gave her a comforting look. "It will be ok. She will come around."

Sun piped up. "Yeah. Ice Queen is a bit prickly with strangers at first, but she warms up to you pretty quick."

Yang looked at him with a grin. "Yeah, unless she thinks you're a 'rapscallion'."

Sun puffed his chest out. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Ruby grinned. "Yeah! Weiss is great! We hated each other at first, but now she is, like, the best partner ever!"

Nora smirked. "You're just saying that because you sleep with her."

Ruby went red. "NORA! Don't say it like that! We don't do..that stuff. We just share a bed and cuddle!"

The redhead had a look of obviously fake innocence on her face. "That is what I meant. What did you think I was talking about?"

Ruby crossed her arms and gave an angry pout at the hammer wielder's smug grin. Blake spoke up with a curious tone. "So...Ruby. You and Weiss, huh? How'd that happen?"

Yang got a wide grin on her face. "Yeah sis. Tell everyone how you fell in love with Weiss-cream after she sucked face with you underwater."

Ruby's face went red again and she yanked her hood up over her head. Her voice squeaked out from under the red garment. "Yaaannng! She gave me air when I was drowning. Don't make it sound dirty."

Ilia just looked at the group of people in front of her.

_'Blake has the...strangest...friends.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you were curious and showed concern about the reason for the hiatus, and after 4 weeks I'm comfortable enough to talk a little bit about it. The gist of it is this: My spouse and I are getting divorced. It was their decision, and I'm taking it hard. It is an...amicable split. There is no hate or real hard feelings between the two of us, as I understand their reasons (even if I don't agree with their actions), and we are working through it together and supporting each other, but I'm obviously taking it harder than them as it was kind of sprung on me while they had been giving it a lot more thought. There is no real 'bad guy' in the situation though (Even though they say it is 100% their fault. I think it was more 90% theirs. I'm not completely blameless here either.) and we will still have a friendship when all is said and done, so I can count our children as lucky that they won't have to deal with toxic parents. 
> 
> It's got me taking a hard look at myself and some personality issues that I have probably been ignoring most of my life and I'm frankly terrified about my future, but they are helping me get help and also getting help for themselves since we both need to address some personal issues that probably (at least partially) led us to where we are now, and will probably screw up any future relationships we have with others if we don't get them fixed. (Miscommunication is a real bitch. Make sure you are completely honest and open with your SO and if there is a problem, talk to them, even if you think it isn't a big issue. There's your PSA kids.) 
> 
> So, I've got some heartbreak to deal with along with a lot of work on self improvement in my future. Not the best time in my life to be writing angsty chapters, but life deals you a bad hand sometimes and you have to work with what you got. The big thing that is affecting this story is that any downtime or idle time that I'd normally be thinking about this story is now being taken up on logistics of our split. (Who's getting the house, who is getting primary custody and how we are getting the kids as much time with each of us as possible, getting most of our debt settled so it doesn't screw over either of us since we won't have joint income anymore, what they are taking with them when they leave, ect. ect.) 
> 
> So, yeah. That is basically what is going on. Big life change cutting into hobby time.


	18. Family Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pulled out of a tense situation, Weiss finally gets to learn more about her family...and there might be more to it than she thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work was hectic this week and I had almost zero time to finish this while dealing with changes at home, but managed to get it done and edited. These chapters are exploding so much bigger than I expected and that 5 original chapters plan I had is looking more like 10 at this point, so with the way things are going, we are probably going to be in volume 8 before I get caught up. lol
> 
> Also, I saw the new character designs for Volume 7 and it is freaky how I planned for a long time to have Weiss braid her hair, and how I already had her use a smaller version of her family symbol, and this new look has both of those ideas in her new design. (Unless the back of her new outfit still has the giant snowflake on it.) Of course, now I have an idea of how to justify another wardrobe change for her when we get there. Ok, enough rambling. Enjoy.

Weiss half stumbled out the door, being pulled along by her sister, hissing in pain when the toe of her high heel shoe caught a loose cobblestone and strained her sore muscles. “Requiem! Slow down! What's the hurry!?”

Finally coming to a stop, Requiem turned to Weiss with a concerned look on her face. “You looked like you were about to have a panic attack and the tension between you and lizard girl was so thick your blonde friend could cut it with his sword.”

Weiss put her hands on her hips and huffed while looking off to the side. “I was fine.”

The blonde girl gave her a stern look. “No, you weren't.”

Requiem ran a hand through her hair as Weiss glanced back at her. “Look, Weiss. I know we didn't get off to the best start, and that seems to be a running theme with you and new people in your life...”

Weiss frowned at that, but didn't deny it.

Her sister continued. “...but, that was my fault. I let my opinion of your family's company color my first impression of you, and I'm sorry. If what I saw at breakfast was any indication, I can tell you're a good person and you are obviously trying to prove that.”

Requiem smiled as Weiss visibly relaxed. “So, why don't we sit down and you can tell me all about the **real** Weiss Schnee. I'm sure you are itching to learn about dad too, not to mention your awesome younger sister.”

Weiss huffed again and crossed her arms, but a small smirk touched her lips. “My _awesome younger sister_ drug me outside without my coffee.”

The blonde haired girl laughed. Before she could reply, the door to the balcony opened and Galeo walked out carrying two mugs. He closed the door with his foot and walked over, handing Weiss her mug. “I thought you might want this.”

Weiss took the mug with a smile. “Thanks dad.”

She turned her head toward Requiem. “See? He understands the importance of a good drink.”

Her sister stuck her tongue out at her. It reminded Weiss of Yang.

Turning toward her dad, she smiled. “I know you told me a bit last night, but could you tell me more about yourself?”

Galeo smiled. “I'd be happy to. Where do you want me to start?”

Weiss looked thoughtful for a moment. “How....did my mother and you...become close? What did you see in her?”

Galeo got a happy look on his face as he looked off into the distance. “Willow was...a wonderful woman. I told you how she paid for my hospital bills when I got hurt. She also came by at least once a week to talk and check up on me. She asked about my life and actually listened. I told her about my sister and how we grew up in Mantle, what our childhood was like, and how we ended up working in the mines. It was a hard life, but we had a happy childhood. Our parents made sure of it.”

Weiss cocked her head to the side. “You have a sister in Mantle?”

_'Maybe I can try to contact her. It would be nice if they could meet again.'_

Her dad sighed. “I **did**. When we grew up, there weren't many options, so we went to the mines. That was where my sister Chordata met her husband. The three of us watched out for each other. She and Dumeril died in a Dust explosion years ago. I moved to Menegerie right after her and her husband got married, and it was hard to keep up with each other since the island doesn't have a CCT. She had been dead for two years before I ever found out.”

Weiss frowned. “I'm sorry.”

Galeo gave her a sad smile. “It wasn't your fault. You didn't have any say in how the SDC ran their mines. I would never hold it against you. I knew Jacques and the company managers were the ones to blame for the safety issues. You and your mother had nothing to do with it.”

Deciding that she didn't want to sour the mood further, Weiss changed the subject back to something happy. “So, what was my mother like back then?”

Weiss felt relieved when her dad smiled once more. “She...was amazing. She was kind, and beautiful, and so full of life. She loved talking about your sister Winter. I know she wasn't happy at home, but when we were together, she was always smiling. I think that might be part of what attracted us to each other. We made each other happy.”

He sighed. “It wasn't meant to last though. It was a whirlwind romance. She kept sneaking out and making excuses to come see me. Jacques never knew, but Willow told me he was starting to get suspicious of all the time she was spending out of the house. I was also having problems in the mines because of my gills. Too much Dust exposure. So, she started getting money together and got me set up to move to Menagerie. I would be safe from Jacques if he ever found out, and Willow couldn't leave her father's company behind. We met up one last time to say goodbye and she gave me the money and a ticket to Vale where I could catch a boat to Menagerie. I left a few days later after my sister's wedding and never heard from Willow again.”

Weiss frowned. “You never tried to contact each other?”

Galeo shook his head. “We agreed it was for the best. I had money, but no place in Menagerie for her to send letters to. Plus, I couldn't be sure any letters I sent to her wouldn't be found by Jacques. It was too much of a risk. I was able to start anew though, and live a better life. I would have taken my sister and her husband with me, but they were stubborn and didn't want to leave Mantle.”

Requiem finally spoke up from looking deep in thought. “Dad? Did mom know about any of this?”

Galeo looked at his other daughter and shook his head. “No. The relationship was over and we both had to move on. There was no reason to bother her with a story of a relationship that couldn't happen.”

She pursed her lips. “Are you going to tell her?”

Their dad looked at Weiss, then back to the blonde girl. “Yes. There is no reason to keep it a secret, and your mom needs to know I have another child out here.”

He looked at Weiss once more, a thoughtful look on his face. “Weiss...if Atlas isn't safe for you anymore, you are welcome to stay in Menagerie with us. I don't think my wife will have a problem once she meets you. I want to make sure you have a home to go to.”

Weiss shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I probably wouldn't be welcome in Menagerie for quite some time. My name alone is synonymous with Faunus oppression, and until I change that, I shouldn't risk it. More importantly, I don't want to impose on your family. You've built a new life, and I don't want to disrupt what you have."

She smiled and gestured toward the house with her head. “Besides, I'm pretty sure my team isn't letting me out of their sight anytime soon.”

\-----

**Meanwhile**

With a little encouragement, Ruby did eventually relate how her and Weiss had gotten together to Blake...and everyone else in the room. Her head was fully buried in her hood the whole time, but they could hear the smile in her voice through the embarrassment. It didn't help when Kali squealed in that way that only mothers seeing young love can do, saying how 'adorable' their relationship was. That had Ruby stuttering for a moment as her face blended in quite well with her hood. Ghiria took a moment to calm his wife down, pointing out that the poor girl was close to passing out from embarrassment. After she concluded, Blake smiled. “Well, I'm happy for you both. You look really cute together.”

Ruby looked up and pulled her hood off with a smile. Now that she was done talking, she was able to push down her blushing. “Thanks Blake.”

Blake chuckled. “Might explain why it never worked out with the guys.”

She quickly looked over at Jaune as she realized one of them was in the room. “No offense, Jaune.”

The blonde man gave her a tired smile. “None taken.”

Nora spoke up, furrowing her brows. “But...why couldn't Weiss work out with a guy? She isn't gay...”

When Blake look confused, Ren gave his girlfriend a disappointing look. “Nora, that is Weiss' business.”

Ilia was as confused as Blake. Ruby was quick to clear that up when she waved off the whole situation. “She's ace like me. Gender doesn't really matter to her.”

Blake nodded with a grin. “Well, that is convenient.”

Yang laughed. “I had a talk with her. She was just really confused about herself. Apparently, Atlas isn't very open minded.”

Ilia rolled her eyes with a bitter tone to her voice as she remembered her time at that prep school, hiding among all those racist humans. “Yeah...imagine that. Atlas being racist.”

When Yang looked taken back by the tone of Ilia's voice, Blake quickly explained. “Ilia grew up in Atlas.”

Yang glanced over at the chameleon girl, looking a little apologetic. “Sorry. Small town girl. Patch didn't really have a racism problem.”

Ruby excitedly spoke up. “Remember Miss Appleton, the chipmunk Faunus? She baked the best pies.”

Ilia blinked at the exchange. She wondered idly what her life could've been like if she had grown up somewhere else. Her parents might still be alive if they hadn't died in that mine explosion. “Sounds like a nice place.”

Ruby shrugged with a smile. “It's home.”

Qrow pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning against. “Alright, I need to go check on Oscar, then we need to figure out what we are doing from here on out.”

Yang stood up and stretched, then looked at Sun. “You guys staying for lunch?”

Sun gave her a beaming smile that had her fighting a blush all over again. “Of course! I never pass up a free meal with friends.”

Ren stood up as Nora hopped off his lap and started skipping toward the kitchen. The black haired boy smoothed out his shirt. “Someone should inform Mr. Henle and his daughters that we are going to make lunch, and see if they have any preferences.”

\-----

Ilia froze, the color draining from her face. _'Did he say...Henle?'_

A million thoughts raced through her mind.  How had she spent so much time around Blake's parents, and by extension, Kali Belladonna's bodyguard, and not have ever heard his last name?  As Kali started to say something, she acted without thinking and spoke up, maybe just a **little** too quickly. “I'll go get them.”

When she got more than one strange look, Ilia had to think fast. “I can't avoid Weiss forever, and food is always a good peace offering, right?”

More than one person had thoughtful looks on their faces, like they weren't completely convinced that she was being honest. Truth be told, she was not ready to see Weiss, but she needed to talk to the white haired girl's dad, and she needed to do it now.

Nora piped up from the door to the kitchen. “Well, if we ever get on bad terms, just remember pancakes are **my** favorite peace offering.”

That broke the tension as teams RWBY and JNPR laughed. Ilia breathed out a sigh of relief and slipped off down the hall until she came to the door to the balcony. Hearing the family on the other side, she placed her ear to the wall and listened.

“...I've always wondered what you are like and never thought I'd get to meet you. I'm just...happy to have a... **normal** family.”

She heard the other girl reply with obvious humor. “Oh, I doubt we are _normal_.”

As she stood there listening at the door, Ilia learned more about the Schnee ex-heiress than she thought possible.

\-----

Galeo smiled. “They obviously care about you a lot.”

Weiss smiled at that. “Yeah, they do. Dad? Can I ask a favor?”

The older Faunus cocked his head to the side. “Sure. What is it?”

Weiss smiled. “I know you are going to have to head back to Menagerie eventually, but I just wanted to ask you to keep in touch as best you can, and I'll try to do the same. I don't know what our plans are yet, but I'm hoping I'll still be able to send letters.”

Her dad smiled. “I'll do my best.”

Requiem smirked. "Well, we will have plenty of time for me to bring you all up to date on our side of the family."

Weiss looked at her, confusion plain to see.

Requiem rolled her eyes and smiled. "What? You think you're going to introduce yourself into our lives, and then just run off on whatever mission you are going on? I'm coming with you.”

Weiss' eyes went wide. "I'm...not sure that is a good idea.”

Her sister huffed and put her hands on her hips. “And why not? Think I can't keep up?”

Weiss cringed. “That's not...well, actually, I have no idea what you are capable of, but that isn't the point.”

She nervously bit her lower lip in thought. _'Should I tell them about Salem and Ozpin? What_ _ **can**_ _I tell them? If she is a good fighter, we could use the help...'_

“Sis?”

Requiem's voice snapped Weiss out of her thoughts and she made a decision. “Aura?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, the blonde haired girl replied without thinking. “Unlocked.”

"Semblance?"

Again, the reply was instant. "Dust manipulation, and pretty damn good at it if I say so myself."

_'Dust manipulation?'_

Weiss cracked a slight grin at her confidence, but carried on as quick as possible. Requiem had her Semblance unlocked. Weiss could get the details later.

"How much combat experience do you have?"

"Top 3 of my class at Sanctum. Was going to go to Haven, but I don't think that is an option now."

Weiss blinked. _'Top three is pretty impressive. She has combat skill.'_

"Anything outside of a school setting?"

"Helped the guard in Kuo Kuana defend against some Grimm attacks."

Weiss tapped her finger on her mug as she looked into the dark liquid, giving it some serious thought. “I'll talk to our...leaders...and see what they think.”

Requiem smirked. “You mean your crazy girlfriend and goofy, blonde, and handsome in there, or tall, dark, and drunk?”

Weiss felt a tiny pang of...something...at that statement. She remembered feeling it once before, when Ruby was named team leader over her. Deciding it wasn't important at the moment, and not wanting to out Ozpin until she has spoken with Qrow first, Weiss decided to change the subject. “I'm curious, and I apologize if this question is offensive, but what kind of Faunus are you?”

Her sister blinked in confusion for a moment at the change of subject, but shrugged and went with the flow. “I'm a frog Faunus.”

Weiss pursed her lips as she looked her sister over. Requiem wasn't wearing her jacket this morning. Her sleeveless shirt showed off her arms. The apparent frog Faunus didn't have rough skin like a frog might. Her legs were straight like a human, so that wasn't' her trait. Her bright green eyes looked normal too, and Weiss had seen her eat this morning, and knew she had a normal tongue.

_'She looks completely human. What is her Faunus trait...?'_

Requiem laughed. She always had fun messing with people like this when she told them she wasn't human. Seeing them trying to figure out her animal trait was always interesting to watch. “I'd show you my trait sis, but then I'd have to go take a shower.”

When Weiss looked back at her face, Requiem grinned. “I can secrete toxin from my skin. My skin turns this really cool blue color with wicked black stripes when I do it too. It looks awesome.”

Weiss blinked. “Your skin is poisonous?”

Requiem rolled her eyes. “Don't worry. It is an indigestible poison, and it breaks down in open air pretty quick. Just don't get it in your mouth or eyes or an open cut or anything, and you are fine. It's really deadly though, so you better hope you have a medical crew nearby if you get it in your system.”

Weiss was quite unnerved by that. “That...sounds terrifying.”

Requiem shrugged. “It's not all that bad. I have to make it come out, so I don't have to worry about accidents. I just don't like to because even after it stops being dangerous, it still leaves a sticky film on my skin that I hate. On the plus side, even if a Grimm gets me, I'd still get the last laugh.”

Weiss frowned. “That...is kind of morbid.”

Requiem shrugged. “Well, not all of us get cool features that let us breath underwater.”

When Weiss cringed, her sister laughed and playfully punched her in the shoulder. “I'm just messing with you. I'm not actually jealous or anything. I got night vision like you do and I might not be able to breath water like you and dad, but I can hold my breath for a REALLY long time.”

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. “You're as bad as Yang.”

Her sister shrugged again with a grin. “Eh...maybe it's a blonde thing.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Doubtful. Jaune is not nearly as bad as you two.”

The girls' dad spoke up then. “He's the young man that saved you last night, correct?”

Weiss smiled. “Yeah. He was so desperate to not lose another of his friends that he actually unlocked his Semblance in order to save me.”

_'He...really cares about us, doesn't he...?'_

Galeo smiled. “Sounds like he's pretty important to you.”

Weiss felt her cheeks warm at that. It was a confusing feeling. “We look out for each other. They are all like family to me, but other than Ruby, I can say that he is probably my best friend. ”

She chuckled. “It's so different from when we first met and he annoyed me everyday with his horrible flirting. I hated him back then.”

Requiem grinned. “Is he single?”

Weiss narrowed her eyes at her sister. That weird feeling popped up again, and Weiss felt the need to defend her friend. “You really shouldn't try anything. Jaune lost his girlfriend at Beacon, and he is still hurting from that loss. I don't think he is ready to get into a new relationship.

At that, she blinked. _'Why am I the one deciding if someone asks Jaune out? I don't have any right to decide that for him.'_

_**'He's important to you. You want him to be happy.'** _

That must be it. She just didn't know Requiem all that well yet, and she wanted to make sure she would be good enough for her friend. That made sense.

**'Is that really it though?'**

Weiss shook her head to clear that line of thought as Requiem spoke up. “Oh...Sorry.”

The white haired girl waved her off. “Don't be. Not many people knew that Jaune and Pyrrha had been dating. He used to have a huge crush on me when we started school. It wasn't until after we went to the school dance together that he finally noticed she liked him.”

The frog Faunus blinked. _'Pyrrha dated someone? Is that why she looked so happy during the start of the tournament?'_

Their dad spoke up. “You and him dated?”

Weiss shook her head with a grin. “No. It's a long story, but I ended up asking him to the dance as friends. A 'friend date' as Nora called it. It was a nice change of pace from all those Atlas high society events. I got to spend the evening with my friends just dancing and having a good time.”

She shook her head again and turned to her dad. “Enough about them though. There will be plenty of time for you to get to know them. I wanted to hear about your lives. You said you were a bodyguard for Blake's mom? Are you a huntsman?”

Galeo shook his head. “No.”

He grinned. “I was actually a fisherman. First thing I did when I moved to Menagerie is open a fishing business. The waters around the island are calm and clear, so with my ability to breath underwater, I found I had a knack for it. It was nice to not have to worry about Dust exposure anymore either. It was how I met my wife.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small case. Popping it open, Weiss saw it was a watertight wallet. Her dad pulled a picture out and handed to her.

Weiss took a look at the photo. It showed her dad standing next to a tall, thin woman with short blonde hair. Her bright green eyes were slitted as she winked and she was sticking her tongue out at the camera. A decidedly forked tongue. Weiss set her mug down and pulled her own photo from her pouch and held them next to each other. Her dad look almost the same in either photo. Same bright orange eyes and toothy smile. That wasn't the only similarity though. The other thing was the women. Both Weiss' and Requiems' mothers. They both had such bright smiles on their faces. Her own mother was more reserved and 'proper' than her sister's, but the look was still there. Weiss couldn't help but smile as she felt a happy tear run down her cheek.

“Weiss?”

She looked up to see her sister looking at her with concern. The expression softened when she saw the smile on Weiss' face. “Everything cool?”

Weiss nodded and wiped her cheek with her sleeve as she handed the photo back to her dad. “Snake Faunus, correct?”

Galeo nodded.

“What's her name?”

Her dad smiled as he looked at the photo once more before putting it away. “Boa.”

Weiss smirked. “Kind of on the nose there, isn't it?”

Galeo laughed. “Yeah. Even more so when she was the one that helped me mend my fishing nets. She is really good at tying knots. Hires out to the other fishers in Menagerie now.”

Weiss furrowed her brows in thought. “How did you go from fisherman to bodyguard?”

Her dad laughed. “Yeah, it is kind of strange sounding when you think about it. When Requiem started showing interest in fighting Grimm, she needed a trainer. I was decent with a spear from my time fishing and the guard was too busy to train her full time, so I had one of the ones with Aura unlock mine so I could spar with her in my off time. I was eventually offered a position with the village's guard.”

Requiem piped up with a grin. “And I totally kicked your butt every time.”

Galeo grinned right back with a roll of his eyes. “Sure, and that is why your mom was always complaining about how dirty your clothes got since you ended up on your rear end in the dirt so much.”

Her sister pouted. “I got accepted to Haven.”

She swatted her dad's hand away when he pat her on the head like a child, even as he smiled proudly at her. “That you did sweetie, and I'm very proud of you.”

Requiem smiled at the praise. “Thanks dad.”

Glancing at her two relatives, Weiss' mouth went into a tight line as she looked toward the ground. _'Is this what a real family is like? Is this how_ _ **normal**_ _families treat each other?'_

Remembering how Blake's parent's supported their daughter, and how Ruby and Yang described their father, she couldn't help but smile. Even the way Qrow treated his nieces, the familial love was still obvious.  She wasn't lying when she said that team RWBY and JNPR were like family to her. Winter loved her too, but she had her own way of showing it.

The way the sisters were raised and Winter's life in the military would always affect the way her older sister carried herself. Weiss would always love her sister and wouldn't trade her for the world, but there was just something **refreshing** about family that were so open with each other without having to worry about who was watching.

She startled herself when something dropped into her mug and she realized tears were running down her face again.

“Weiss? Are you ok?”

Looking up quickly, she saw her dad looking at her, worry painted across his expression. Quickly wiping her eyes, she smiled. “Yes. I'm fine. I'm just...happy. I've always wondered what you are like and never thought I'd get to meet you. I'm just...happy to have a... **normal** family.”

Requiem grinned. “Oh, I doubt we are _normal_.”

Weiss huffed out with a smile. “You know what I mean. You aren't stuck up, or worried about your 'status' or trying to prove you are better than everyone around you. You're...normal.”

Her sister frowned. “You sound like you had a shit childhood.”

Galeo frowned. “Language...”

Requiem's shoulders scrunched up and she looked sheepish. “Sorry dad...”

Her sister turned back to her with a concerned look on her face. “Want to talk about it?”

Weiss frowned. “No. I'd much rather...”

Stopping herself, she changed her mind. “...actually....yes. I would like to talk about it. I think I need to. You wanted to know who the **real** Weiss Schnee was, and I think it would be good for me to tell someone.”

Weiss walked over and sat down on the ground, tucking her legs under herself, her family sitting down next to her. She took a deep breath and looked out at the skyline. “When I was born, Jacques wasn't at the hospital. My sister Winter was the heiress at the time and Jacques had company business to attend to. I was...not as important. The family is part of the company as far as he is concerned. The doctors were bribed and sworn to secrecy about my heritage and only my mother and our family butler knew. ”

Weiss smiled. “Klein is....a wonderful man. He was more of a father than Jacques ever was. He was the one that helped me hide what I was. At first I didn't realize it. I was just a little girl who liked wearing pretty dresses. One day I was playing in the gardens and I dropped something in the fountain. When the water splashed up, I closed my eyes, but realized I was still able to see.”

Weiss looked over at them and closed her clear lids. “It was the first time I ever realized I could do that.”

Flicking the clear membranes open again, her smile dropped. “Mother saw it and panicked because Jacques was in the garden at the time. He was about to reprimand me for acting _unladylike,_ but Mother got there first and had Klein take me to my room to change. It was there that he explained to me what a Faunus was and that I needed to be careful not to let anyone besides Mother and himself know that I was a Faunus, because Jacques would be angry if he found out.”

She huffed out. “That....is a tough lesson to take in when you are five years old. I didn't understand exactly why I had to hide, but I trusted Klein and he told me that I needed to. I think I was maybe seven when I first started to understand why. The White Fang had been around for quite some time at this point, and Jacques would always come home and complain about the protests. I never understood why they were protesting though. I was just a child and had lived my life in the lap of luxury. I never knew anything else. I always just thought that how I lived was normal for everyone. That was the first time I heard it. It started off with him complaining about the White Fang and how those _'ungrateful animals'_ were hurting sales.”

She shook her head. “I was so... **ignorant**. I started to hate the Faunus because they made him angry. I mean, I was rich and a Faunus, surely they could be too? After I started to learn the truth about how things really were, I hated myself for being a Faunus instead, so I started ignoring my Faunus traits. As far as I was concerned, I was human.”

She shook her head again. “I didn't realize it at the time, but I was letting Jacques' beliefs become my own. I think that was when I started really letting myself be molded by him. I worked hard to live up to his expectations, but I was never good enough in his eyes, so I worked harder. Jacques was always kind of distant, and demanding, but that was all I ever knew. I thought that was normal too. Everything came crashing down during my tenth birthday. He always showed up to them. He never paid much attention to me during them, as long as I acted 'properly', but he was there. That was the first year he didn't show up. Mother got mad at him and he snapped.”

Weiss saw the looks of shock and anger on their faces and looked back down at the ground, fiddling with the hem of her dress. “He told her that he only married her for the family name. He only cared about the company, not the family. It was the last straw for her. They started spending time apart and she started drinking. It only got worse years later when the White Fang turned violent. Everyday, he would come home and rant about them. Then it was the kidnappings and murders. It made me angry that I was the same species as them.”

She let out a long breath. “I hated the White Fang. I hated what I was. By then, Winter had given up her title and joined the Atlas military. I was the new heiress and had been for quite some time. I spent even more time around the elite, and the mask I wore just became who I was. I wanted to blend in. As far as anyone knew, I was human, and it was supposed to stay that way. For years I let myself live that lie.”

She held up her hand and stared at the little glowing snowflake that appeared. The symbol of her family and her Semblance. “Even after I finally realized that I had another option and started to defy Jacques, I was scared. Even after I had begun to embrace my Faunus side once again...to myself, at least...I was scared I'd fail. Even after I saw through Jacques lies, the words and behavior were so ingrained in me, I didn't know how to act anyway else. I couldn't let myself trust other Faunus, even when I knew they were innocent. I was a hypocrite, and I knew it, but I couldn't make myself stop.”

As she closed her hand and the glyph vanished, Weiss looked over at her family. They had been politely silent during her confession, letting her get it all out. “It took me a long time, but with help from my friends, I've finally broken free. Broke free of all that fear and hate. I'm my own woman now, and now that I have my freedom, I'm going to use it to make sure the Schnee name means something good again. My mother may have given up on it and Jacques may have ruined it, but between Winter and I...I think we can fix it.”

Requiem nodded in contemplation as she soaked in all that. After a bit, she grinned. “Well, you've got my support sis.”

Weiss couldn't help but smile at the support. “Thank you.”

Standing up, she brushed dirt off her dress with her free hand. “I'll go talk to Qrow about you coming with us.”

Her sister smiled. “Awesome. I'm gonna hang out here with dad and catch up. I haven't seen him since last summer.”

As Weiss walked in the door, she caught an odd smell in her nostrils that caused her to slow her pace for just a second. It smelled like the swamps of Anima. Not rotten like a bog or particularly strong, but it was there, mud and wet bark...and it was a scent she recognized from earlier. She wasn't sure why Ilia was hiding by the door, but if the girl was going to try something, Weiss wasn't going to give up her advantage by letting the chameleon Faunus know she had been detected, so she kept walking. As she rounded the corner of the hall, she heard the door to the balcony open and shut. Peering back around the corner, she narrowed her eyes. _'What is she up to?'_

\-----

After her sister had returned inside, Requiem looked at her dad. “So dad? Weiss seems like a nice girl. What do you think mom is going to think when you tell her you've got family other than us?”

Galeo humphed. “You know how your mom is. She'll give me a hard time for never checking in with Willow to see how she was, then probably tie me to a chair and grill me for all the details.”

Requiem scrunched her face up and stuck her tongue out. “Eww...I don't want to hear about you and mom's weird kinks.”

While that was not what he meant in the slightest, if his daughter was going to make jokes, he'd play along and make her think twice about challenging him. Turning to her, he grinned wickedly. “Well, that was how you were conceived, after all.”

As Requiem pretended to dry heave at the thought of that, Galeo spoke up. “If that didn't scare you away, you can come out and join us Ilia.”

Requiem's head snapped up and followed her dad's gaze to the door Weiss had walked through just a couple minutes earlier. A sheepish looking Ilia faded back into view and stood there nervously for a moment before walking over to them. Requiem looked at her dad. “How did you notice her there? You weren't even looking in that direction.”

Galeo chuckled. “I smelled her. She's been standing right inside the door for quite awhile now. Your sister probably didn't even notice until she went inside. I've been around Ilia long enough I can pick her out of a crowd.”

Ilia stopped in her tracks. _'She noticed me? She could...smell me?'_

Ilia thought back to just a couple minutes earlier when Weiss had walked in the door. Ilia had been watching the Schnee closely from the alcove she had been standing in. She remembered how the heiress' nostrils had flared for just a moment, how her brow furrowed, like a stray thought had just hit her, and the almost imperceptible slowing of her steps before the girl had continued down the hall.

_'Shit. She did notice me. Great...now she probably is even more suspicious.'_

Putting that complication behind her for the moment, Ilia looked at Galeo. “Galeo? I wanted to ask you a question.”

When he nodded she continued. “Is your last name...Henle, perhaps?”

Galeo squinted his eyes in confusion, but nodded again. “Yes?”

Ilia's skin flared yellow for a moment as her heart rate spiked. She swallowed. “Do you know a Chordata Henle?”

Galeo sucked in a breath. That was a name he had not heard someone **else** say in quite some time. Other than the conversation he just had with Weiss, he had not spoken of his sister in years. “That was my sister, but she died years ago in-”

Ilia cut him off. “-a mine explosion.”

Galeo blinked. “How di-?”

The chameleon girl plowed on. “She married a man named Dumeril Amitolia, right?”

He blinked, not quite understanding. “Yes, but how did you know that?”

Ilia stood there for a moment, shaking as her skin ran through a myriad of colors. Her legs gave out and she dropped onto her butt as she stared straight ahead with wide eyes. It was true.  How could she have not known?  Requiem jumped to her feet and rushed over, dropping to her knees and grabbing the chameleon girl by the shoulders. “Whoa there! You ok girl?”

Ilia blinked and slowly looked at the girl holding onto her. “Chordata...and Dumeril Amitolia...were my parents...”

It was dead quiet on the balcony. No one said a word. Requiem was the first to break the silence and summed up the situation when she breathed out the first words to come to mind. “Holy shit...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember how a long time ago I lamented that I passed up a chance to make Ilia and Weiss half sisters, but then had a random idea? Yeah, time for that idea to come into play.  
> Requiem's mom is a Boa Constrictor Faunus. She fixes fishing nets for a living.  
> Requiem is a species of poison dart frog Faunus.  
> Requiem's semblance will be explained better in later chapters. I promise it's not OP. ;)  
> Ilia's parents are canonically dead and no details are given, so they are perfect for some original content. Chordata was also a tiger shark Faunus like Galeo. I decided to make her dad Dumeril Amitolia a salamander Faunus.  
> Yeah, Yang has it bad right now. Get ready for some drama there. It's gonna be a wild ride. :)  
> The final seeds have been planted. How long until some start to sprout? Can you spot what is happening in the background yet?


End file.
